Battling Time Savers
by Pete the Rock
Summary: TMNT IV-themed story pits Ash, Edward, Sakura and Rin after ACROSS when the Statue of Liberty disappears and a mystery involves someone called the Child of Time. PKMN, FMA, Maburaho, Naruto, Excel-Saga, and a final anime held for a surprise.
1. Prolouge

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, Naruto, Maburaho, Fullmetal Alchemist, Excel-Saga and an interesting choice of final anime.

Base Theme: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

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Summary: Ash, Edward, Sakura and Rin must stop a maniac who has kidnapped someone known as the Child of Time.

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_**Battling Time Savers**_

_Chapter 1: Prologue_

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There was an island with a statue in the center. A _really_ tall lime green statue of a crowned woman. It held a torch high in her right arm and a tablet in her left. Fleets of people had flocked to the statue, most wearing business suits. Let's focus on one group, setting up a tripod and placing a heavy camcorder on it. "We ready?" a woman in a black suit called to her cameraman, wearing a t-shirt and slacks.

"Ready to go," he called back. "Action in 5...4...3...2..." He pointed to the woman, which a red light on the camcorder flashed on. Recording, the woman was ready to speak with a microphone in her hand, facing the camera.

"It's been approximately two years since 9/11, where New York Governor Rudy Gulliani ordered the closure to the Statue of Liberty for safety concerns from future terrorism. While we await for Mayor Michael Bloomberg to reopen the landmark that symbolizes this fine country, we remind ourselves-"

"Cut, Julie! Look!" The cameraman's freaky feared look and pointing fingers made Julie stop, not appreciating the interruption. She looked over to the...what's going on with Liberty? Like a television with a bad antenna, the statue appeared to be on the fritz. It faded in and out of focus.

"Kevin, are you getting this?" she asked in an excited tone.

"I'm all over it!" For minutes on end, Liberty teetered on whether it would stay or go. Finally, in one flash, the Statue of Liberty was gone. Gasps flooded the ever stunned crowd of onlookers. Tensions were like disbeliefs. Not one person knew what they could do at the moment. Suddenly, rings... Cellphone rings. Like many others, Julie grabbed her cellphone, answering the call. Before she could speak, the voice on the other side made first noise.

"Good afternoon, ignorant masses," a cherubic pungent male cheered. "This is what the Child of Time is able to provide, now that it's with the idealogical organization, ACROSS. If you want your precious Statue of Liberty, not even patients of a monk will make it return." His maniacal laughter made people turn their cellphones off. Not Julie.

"Who the hell are you?!" she yelled. She was about to get disconnected. The busy signal sounded. Whoever this person was, he wanted to keep his identity a secret. "I don't know who the hell he is. The fact that Liberty's disappeared...I don't think Bloomberg will be happy about this." No, he won't. The night loomed quick. A flash shot out from a construction site for a hi-rise building. The flash stemmed from 10, maybe 12 stories high. Then the flash dimmed. From the flash became a new adventure's start. Five figures, four humans and one yellow mouse, appeared out of nowhere. The lone animal was rather larger than an ordinary mouse, even more with that lightning-shaped tail. Two boys, two girls, all unconscious. There was a braided blond boy with a red trench coat draped over his body. The other boy was raven-haired, with a blue sweat-tee on along with jeans. What about the ladies? One had pink hair while wearing a red t-shirt with extra fabric that stretched over some blackish shorts with some piece of it taped, holding a pouch. She also wore a blue headband with a symboled plate. That symbol looked like a leaf. The last one, a girl as well, was violet-haired, with two side-ponytails. She looked like she was from the past, due to that her outfit was feudal-type. She had a green loose-sleeved shirt and wide-legged violet pants, along with sandals. The pink-haired girl had blue boots, but the toes were sticking out, which it looked properly cut. Were they all...dead? No, it's only the first chapter. Then, what's coming out of the feudal girl's body? A ghost? AH! It was another female, younger looking, too. She had whitish hair while wearing a maroon gown, nothing else. She saw the feudal-styled girl, not liking what she saw.

"Rin!" she called out. "Rin, are you okay?" Rin wasn't responding, which frightened the ghost. Wait...ghosts should be frightening, not the other way around. "I knew spending time away from Kuriko was a bad idea." Who now? She saw the other three. It knew Rin. What about the others? "Who are they?" Nope. No clue. She tried again with Rin. "Rin, wake up! There's trouble!" It was still no use. That's when she had an idea about the other girl who was there. "Someone else wants to take Kazuki's genes!" Genes? Whatever the ghost was talking about, it seemed to work. Rin heard the ghost's bogus story, which stirred her awake. Her purplish eyes sensed a problem with the scene. She eyed the ghost, like she wasn't afraid of it.

"Where's the tramp, Elizabeth?" she questioned. Elizabeth's lie did the trick. She kept that to herself about the pink haired girl.

"I had to think of something to get you attention."

"You mean-" Elizabeth's nod told Rin that it was a ruse. Immediately, she saw the two boys. "Then, who are they?" Elizabeth had no idea about the two and the mouse that was there, less the girl she wanted to fib about. Studying the grounded ones, she approached the mouse, cautioned greatly. She placed a hand on the mouse's back, around the spine, and began to massage it ever so softly. The good feeling slowly woke the mouse from it's timeout. It rose to it's feet...hind feet and turned to Rin.

("What's going on?") it wondered subconsciously. It eyed Rin and Elizabeth...which startled it over to the raven-haired boy. ("Ash, a little help here!") The little mouse tried to shake the now-named Ash up, but it wasn't working. Elizabeth was quick to notice that her appearance may have been to blame.

"I think I scared him," she huffed. The little mouse was failing to arouse Ash from his slumber. No matter what it tried, nothing worked.

("It's time to wake up!") That's when the little mouse's circled cheeks emitted sparks. ("Thundershock Alarm Clock!") It fired a storm of electricity which struck Ash. The shocking impact shook Ash awake. When the electricity stopped flowing, Ash was on his hands and knees, reeling from the blast of electric juice.

"Pikachu, what's the deal?" he groaned. He gazed at Pikachu with chocolaty brown eyes. His eyes saw the purple pants of Rin, thus peering up her body. Needless to say, Ash's fog of confusion thickened.

"Are you okay, young sir?" Rin asked as she approached Ash, hand out to help. Ash clapped and grabbed her arm, telling her to pull him to his feet.

"Thanks. You doing alright?"

"I'm fine." Ash was on his feet, looking around his surroundings, eying the two in red. He walked over to the pink-haired, wondering if she was dead or alive. That would suck if one of them were dead in the first chapter. He grabbed her wrist, placing two fingers on that spot. A pulse. She was alive. "Well?" Ash swung over to Rin, bobbing a nod, telling her that this girl was alive. Rin, then, turned to the blond as Ash brushed the pink hair back to get a good look at the female...and noticed about how cute she looked sleeping.

'I hate to wake her up in the middle of the night.' Well, she felt the hair being whiffed back, slowly opening her eyes to Ash...only her mind believed that Ash wasn't Ash.

"Sasuke, is that you?" she slurred weakly. She reached up to feel Ash, not this Sauske, noticing how smooth his skin felt. Before Ash could try to talk his way out of being who he wasn't, the girl lunged and hugged the mouse owner. "Sasuke, you have no idea how worried I was about you." Someone give this girl a reality check.

'Who's Sasuke? Her boyfriend?' That's when the girl felt the denim among her legs rubbing along his jeans. She snapped to the present, and pushed away to look at Ash with more straight eyesight. She, now, realized that it wasn't who she suspected.

"You're not Sasuke." No, Ash was not Sasuke. Ash had to feel some sympathy for her, who appeared to be lovelorn for this mysterious Sasuke.

"I was about to ask if you were in good shape before you leaped onto my body." Talk about caring. The girl seemed eased with Ash's good demeanor. Still, she acted apologetic.

"Sorry about that. Wishful thinking. My name's Sakura Haruno." Sakura? Ash huffed a giggle about the name. It was a cute name, like she was.

"You're the second Sakura that I've met, but you definitely fit the name better. I'm Ash Ketchum." Rin heard both names as she was poking a sheath at the last member's spine. He wasn't moving. So, someone did die? Pikachu got to Rin's side, wondering if it could help with this last guy while Ash and Sakura watched. "What's Pikachu doing with her?" Rin shot a look to the rodent, nodding to something.

("I got ya!") it voiced. That's when Pikachu emitted more electricity, zapping the last male. Another thundershock? The blond was screaming for mercy from the lightning coursing throughout his body.

"Stop!" he screeched. Pikachu let off on the electric discharge allowing the last waking member to get himself together. Needless to say, he wasn't too happy about getting zapped with enormous about of electricity. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" he snapped at Pikachu. Hey, don't yell at the little guy.

"I order the mouse to wake you up," Rin acted in defense for the juiced mouse. "It would seem that you need more than a simple bolt of lightning to make you understand." Simple bolt? The blond was seething from her retort.

"Spare me the humor, wench! I didn't deserve that electrocution." Rin didn't want to hear another word from the new boy...and flashed a sword, pointing it toward his face.

"Don't make me spear this blade into your body. I'd rather not call the Grimm Reaper to collect your incompetent soul, but I will if necessary." This girl had no spite of killing someone if need be. The male was somewhat intimidated by the surprise sword.

"Nice sword, but can it compete with an alchemist's?" He clapped his hands together before waiving his left over his right. Suddenly, like a magician, he made a blade appear from his sleeve, which was more intriguing than a rabbit, unless it was from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Rin was shocked to see that the blond had a blade to tangle with her sword.

'He had a sword up his trench coat? I underestimated him for being just an ordinary boy.' Rin wasn't so tough now. The blond was ready to fight.

"What's wrong? Lost your nerve? I can pull a lot more from my sleeves than just this." Now, it was Rin was was ready to defend herself as a ball of green light form in her free hand.

"Same with me." That's when she fired that ball of light. The alchemist spotted the ball and swung his head to the side, allowing the light to pass. What's next? The alchemist seemed frightened with the arsenal that she had. Those two were in such a fighting mood, someone had to intermediate it before someone actually did die. Pikachu stayed by Ash and Sakura, who pulled a knife from a pocket attached to her thigh. This was no kitchen knife or hunting. She threw it, which stuck to the iron floor in between the two blade wielders. Hearing the metallic impact, Rin and the alchemist peered at the thrown knife, then at Sakura, who wanted the fighting to stop.

"Cease any bloodshed," she ordered. "Besides, why are you willing to kill each other before you know what we're all doing here?" Ash heard her, having that same question on his mind. He realized that by stopping a potential fight, understanding would come to light of the situation that had been bestowed along them.

"Sakura has a point, you two," he backed up. "Check our surroundings." Rin and the alchemist looked out to the downtown streets, lit up like a Christmas tree. Rin knew where they were. She was the only one. Ash saw that and decided to ask. "You recognize this place?" She bobbed a nod.

"We must be in New York," she answered. "For what reason, that is not certain." New York? Why were they in New York?

"Tell me that this is a dream," the alchemist dreaded. It wasn't a dream and Ash and Sakura realized that. What could they do, now?

"I'd like to get to the bottom of our sudden appearance," Ash suggested.

("Tell me about it,") Pikachu squeaked. It was decided that they had to uncover the reason for the four plus mouse of electricity.

"I agree," Sakura acknowledged. "However, if we are going to be working together in this village of New York, I think we need to know each other, like Ash and myself, Sakura Haruno. I'm a ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village." Sakura...was a ninja? Oh, boy.

"I don't recall ninjas wearing red with pink hair," the alchemist disagreed. Sakura disliked the tone from the blond. "Then again, having a mouse electrocute me...that's a little too weird." Pikachu heard the alchemist's wording, not sure if it was an insult or compliment. Ash thought it was an insult.

"Hey, Pikachu doesn't need that from you," he defended. "I'm his trainer and best friend, and I'll protect his pride if I have to." Sakura was rather astonished that Ash mentioned himself as a trainer. Did he teach Pikachu how to shock people from sleeping? Ed wove his arms, trying to say that he meant nothing personal.

"Hey, I was just explaining what I know. I respect the fact that you have your living, breathing electric alarm on you. Pretty handy to have around in case one of us needs a boost." Ash heard him and thought that he said what he meant was a good thing.

"Ah, okay. I didn't really get your name." The blond had to introduce himself, and he was ready to do so.

"I haven't said it, yet. It's Edward Elric. I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist." Fullmetal? What did he mean by that? He rose the blade arm to show that...is that a metallic hand? "Lost my arm when my brother, Alphonse, was taken to the other side. Saved his soul and casted it into a suit of armor. My arm was replaced, as you can see." Ash now knew everyone...except for Rin.

"I see." He turned to Rin. "That leaves only you." Rin was ready to explain herself.

"My name is Rin Kamishiro. I'm a student from the Aoi Academy, a school for magicians such as myself and Elric. However, Ketchum, I may like you, a lot more than Shikimori or Elric." Ash seemed interested to know what she acknowledged by that.

"How so?"

"Well, you seem to have intelligence that may benefit the crisis at hand. You also seem to be in top physical form, act more maturely and are able to respect one another." Ah, that was sweet of Rin. Ash accepted those remarks, but felt rather confessional about a couple of those items.

"I'm not that smart, and being mature seems a little far fetched." Listening to that, Sakura had to disagree with his statement.

"I don't know," she teased. "I think Rin has a point, and you, unwillingly, displayed it." Her soft laughter had Ash blush in some embarrassment. Say, whatever happened to Elizabeth?

'Elizabeth's back inside me,' she pondered in her head. 'I may need her sometime during the time I'm with these peers.' Just then, growling noises echoed throughout. The five heard it, turning to the sounds. There was a horde of black-coated creatures, too clustered to describe. Guess that meant that there was a duty to fulfill. "These fiends don't appear to want themselves to be known." So, what's to be done?

"I was wanting to get into a brawl, sooner or later," Edward sneered. He clapped his hands together, again. This time, he slapped the floor, where sparks shot up. What now? As if like magic, Edward started to pull a staff from the ground. When he rose the staff from the ground completely...it was a pike. The blade at the end of the staff was the same as what he had on his wrist. Rin pointed her sword at the creatures as Sakura grabbed two of those knives, holding them like a thief may have in earlier times...points pointed down. Ash got his knuckles clenched like a boxer. Going unarmed, were we? Edward saw that weaponless Ash, and tossed him his pike.

"Why do I need your weapon, Ed?" he protested. Ed was wanting something in return, the way he moved his fingers back and forth.

"Let me transmute something of yours." Transmute? Ash was wondering what Ed had in mind as he tossed a red/white ball over to him. Ed placed the ball on the ground, over a piece of paper. On the paper was a circle with two interlacing mirrored triangles. He placed his hands on the paper which revealed another sparky show. When it ended, the ball was no more. Instead, there were two sticks, one red, one white. Those sticks had a piece of itself sticking from an odd place.

"Tonfa sticks?" Sakura guessed. Tonfas?

"There you go." Ash tossed Ed's pike back as he got those weird arm-sticks. Now, all of them were armed. Pikachu had its electricity, so that counted. This group was ready to battle this mystery. ACROSS had someone called the Child of Time, and Ash, Sakura, Edward and Rin were going to rescue him/her...even if they didn't know from the start about it.

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TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Little Squabble in the Big Apple

_Chapter 2: Little Squabble in the Big Apple

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New York City. The clock reading 3:00 AM. Most of the town still scratch their heads in trying to wonder where the Statue of Liberty warped to. A voice claiming ACROSS was responsible for the vanishing of Liberty. A supposed Child of Time had been kidnapped. Four unlikely teenagers emerging at a high-rise construction site face down what may be hoards of nasty creatures. Only in New York. Ash, Edward, Rin and Sakura engaged damning creatures of all shapes, sizes and colors. Ash, equipped with tonfa sticks, whacked the creatures with some fancy footwork, yet not using them to kick these things. Pikachu stayed close, smashing the hostiles with a glowing white tail which was doing more harm than realized. "Keep up that Iron Tail, Pikachu!" Ash praised.

("It's in good hands, Ash!") Pikachu replied with a fulfilled grin. Edward, wielding a pike, was getting a good share of the fiends, slashing them in chunks. He was flipping around like the auto-mail on his arm and leg were weightless. Sakura was clobbering and stabbing each fiend in the upper portions, mostly with throwing knives which she gripped hard on. She had a moment to see how Ash was doing. When she and Ash met, Sakura thought Ash was someone named Sauske. Viewing him in action, Sakura was wondering why Ash wasn't literally kicking the fiends. Ash was throwing only punches from low jabs to hooks, uppercuts and some back fists.

"Is that some sorta martial art?" she questioned before backhanding one more in the snout. Busted nose? Edward turned to Ash, watching him shuffle his body to avoid any sort of strike before a counterattack.

"No, boxing isn't really a martial art," Edward answered before a roundhouse kick with his auto-mail leg. That's damaging. "Though he does look like he's got a few moves from from other areas." That's when they gazed at how Rin was doing. She needed no help, she's fine. Using her sword, she cleaved around the creatures with almost surgical precision. "Guess we don't really need to tell Rin about these demons, right?" Right... They cleared the easy horde in short time. Moving on, they hoped that there was something that could aid them. Through a pair of binoculars, from a few blocks away, a blond middle-aged man with a manly mustache and glasses observed the five-some plow through the demons like a football team through a banner held up by cheerleaders.

"So once again, old friend, you resort to calamity to wreak chaos, like back home in F-City, F-Prefecture," he murmured. "To think that you wanna use your wickedness in USA by kidnapping who you believe is the Child of Time and thieving them of their symbol of freedom. How low will you go, ACROSS?" There was some sort of history between this man and whoever was behind ACROSS. That's when a redhead female, looking mid-20's, approached the vendetta-scorned man.

"Mr. Kabupu, here's the data on the child that ACROSS had kidnapped," she addressed as she handed the man a clipboard. Kabupu peered at the info.

"I see. I knew helping that Excel girl's dog would benefit us somehow. Thank you, Ms. Matsuya." The woman bowed before her escape. Kabupu gazed ahead, watching more demons fall to the youthful speed of the teens.

"Let's hurry," Rin suggested. No need to say so. They continued throughout the site. That's when they found the end of the floor and no more demons to pulp. Was that all they needed to do?

"Well, that was a rush," Ash huffed, getting some of his air back. Edward didn't need a lot of time to scrounge for his breath. Heck, he was still fascinated with Ash's boxing skills.

"Ever thought of kickboxing?" he offered. Ash wondered about Edward's choice of art he suggested for him.

"Kickboxing? What, do I look like someone from a major dojo who can out-style?" Edward sighed that Ash couldn't get what he was pointing out.

"Kickboxing, or as it's originally called Muay Thai, consists of the use of not only swift hands, but powerful kicks," Rin explained. "Perhaps Elric sees potential to be stronger than you already are." Intrigued, Ash gave the thought of kickboxing a shot.

"Well, if you suggest. Maybe I'll consider new uses for these babies." Sakura giggled at the tone of Ash, amused at how open-minded he could be. "Something funny, Sakura?" Sakura eased down but she kept smiling.

"Oh, you're just acting real charming, nothing big," she shyly snickered. Suddenly, there was an evil laugh. Sakura stopped her giggle to turn and find another pink-haired young lady. She wore what appeared to be a lavender and white school outfit with a lavender skirt and white thigh-high socks. Her pink hair was fashioned in fluffy pigtails...yet her eyes were staring at the group as cold as the Rockies.

"Yuna?" Rin shuttered. The girl vilely sneered at Rin, scowling back.

"Rin Kamishiro," she grinned. "How nice to run into you once more, and no Kazuki to bail you out this time." Ash, Edward and Sakura turned their heads to Rin, believing that there was something between the two.

"I take it that you and she know each other, right?" Ed stated the obvious. Rin had to let them know what history be told.

"She's a clone of the real Yuna Miyama," Rin growled. A clone? "This Yuna was created while the real Yuna was searching for a way to increase the spell count of Shikimori. There was a vial that her father had presented to the campus doctor, but she got to it first. She made the real Yuna sick when they met, only to have Shikimori vanquish it." Rin stepped up, wanting answers. "So I ask you, who gave you new life?" Yuna scoffed with the story, amused with the stun she left on Rin and the rest.

"I'd love to explain myself, but I'll only reward you with a clue," she teased. "You see, ACROSS had gained new and exquisite power all in respect to acquiring the Child of Time." A good portion of secrets had leaked to the foursome. ACROSS, Child of Time...anything else?

"Child of Time?" Sakura wondered. "You don't suppose..." Suppose what? Ash had a feeling of what Sakura was hypothesizing about.

"Yeah..." he seemingly agreed.

"Well, despite spilling some of the info, I have a job to do," Yuna composed as she crossed her arms. Her hands began to glow when black angel wings spurt from her back. Her new wings took to the sky. "You understand what my job is, right? See you on the other side." The glowing hands started to form a miniature tornado. This was trouble. Ash sprinted forward, Pikachu holding onto his shoulder. "You defy me? Humor me." She tossed her mini tornado which increased in size. Ash had to act.

"Pikachu, up!" Pikachu leaped into the sky as Yuna's blast struck Ash.

"Ash!" Sakura yelled.

"Idiot!" Edward scolded. For some reason, Ash stood his ground against the blast. He stuck his arms into the blast, his body glowing somewhat brighter than the booming attack of Yuna's.

"Pikachu, now!" Ash called. Pikachu fired electricity from its small body, zapping Yuna. The blast ray stopped where Ash emerged unscathed. Pikachu stopped it's electrocution, Yuna flopping to the iron floor. She gazed up at Ash, radiating an energy that she had held.

"How dare you..." she scowled. Ash seemed more stoked to face her.

"Well, I'm ready to throw down." Yuna got to her feet, upset about her power drained into the trainer. Ash was squaring up in the boxing stance. That's when Rin drew her sword in front of Ash like an extension of her hand.

"Ketchum," she lowly halted Ash. Ash turned to Rin, wondering what was on her mind. "Let me battle her alone. I want revenge for her part in Shikimori's death." A death that needed retribution? Standing down, Ash figured that anyone who wanted resolutions would go first.

"Gotcha." He retreated to join Sakura and Edward as Rin squared herself, ready to fight Yuna.

"Kazuki went kaput, did he?" she grinned. "If I'm not mistaken, you didn't want Kazuki around in the first place, saying that you'd be free from your clan's arrangement of tying the two together in order to increase the magical strength that has weakened overtime. So in a sense, I did you a favor. You should be thanking me and not worry about what your family commands on you." Her low cackling had Rin gritting her teeth. Could this have been true? Was Rin willing to fight for no reason?

"Is this true, Rin?" Sakura asked. A cold silence wavered along the formed team, Rin keeping a code of silence for a moment.

"It's true," she finally gulped a confession. "When I met Shikimori, he was a bumbling mess to ever consider him as someone who enrolled at the Academy. He had bad grades, no athletic talent and was accused of peeping into the nurse's office when the women were getting exams in their undergarments." Then, why did Rin's clan want Kazuki to marry the female in question?

"In other words, your family wanted a total loser?" Ash guessed. "I fail to see the point."

"You would, you magic thief," Yuna snarled at Ash. "Kazuki lacked strength, smarts and proper decency, but he could destroy the world in one spell where it would take a million to execute equivalent power. But now that he's dead, you should have no reason to come after me." To Sakura, Edward and Ash, there really was no point for Rin to go all out on the clone.

"But there is one reason to take your life once again," she retorted. "Because when Shikimori died and turned to ash, the real Yuna, Kuriko and I managed to revive him for our benefit that one of us would remain happy with him. Since I'm here as well as yourself, I'm willing to sacrifice my life to protect him." Rin raced inward, hilt of her sword gripped. Yuna flapped her wings, taking to the air and avoiding a quick end. "Darham, discipline of Arms." She sliced the air with her quick-drawn blade, releasing a green flying cutter. Yuna made her arm glow again, firing an orb and colliding with the cutter. The two dispelled each other, clearing the air between the two females. Yuna continued to launch orb after orb at Rin, dodging with every blast when the orbs made contact with anything solid. For a good minute, both sides were even, Rin's defense equaling Yuna's attacks. Something had to give.

"You're a lot stronger than when I faced you before. Some intensity training." That's when raised a hand, sideways so the thumb was facing her and her pinky and ring fingers were folded. She sprinted ahead once more. Yuna formed a giant ball of energy, ready to fold Rin in half. She fired. Rin saw the ball come her way, but proceeded onward. It hit Rin and blew up. Rin! When the smoke and fire cleared, Rin was gone...but there was a paper cutout of a human. A curse on Rin? "A shikigami?" Shikigami? In a flash, Rin appeared. She stuck her sword to Yuna's neck, advising her to surrender.

"It's over for you." Yuna smirked, almost undeterred with Rin's threat.

"Just like that?" She started to cackle again. "Just like the common lore of heroes, you never finish your enemy who feels of flesh and bone. Anything else is open game." She walked over and placed Edward in a headlock, prompting Ash and Sakura to arm themselves.

"What the hell?!" Edward yelped in surprise and struggled to get out of the lock.

"You see, all I have to do is rearrange his head and you'll-" They'll what? Yuna stopped speaking when she felt something slap her back. She looked at her back, seeing Edward's hand on her spine. In a spite, she sighed. "At least aim a little lower if you're trying to be a pervert." Ash saw that slap, knowing that he used his auto-mailed arm. Edward was trying alchemy. That's when Yuna noticed that her clothes began to glow...surprising her.

"Sorry about that. I prefer tough areas on the body, not soft spots." He finally wriggled free as the glow brightened. Finally...BOOM! Yuna's clothes exploded and sent her flying off the site. Where she would land was anyone's guess. Pikachu rejoined the regroup as they reflect their performance.

"Well, that was a nice go-around," Ash huffed. "Maybe we can work as a unit." He seemed confident about the teamwork with the rest of his team.

"Yeah, especially with the scores of demons that were hurled our way," Sakura snickered. "I've gotta agree with Ash. You three, or four...can't forget you, Pikachu."

("It's alright, Sakura,") Pikachu forgave. They, minus Rin, enjoyed a grand laugh when Ash backtracked to what Yuna spoke out before her flight away. Edward saw the deepness of thought upon the trainer.

"Yo, Ash," Edward called. "What are you thinking about?" Ash needed a moment to collect his thoughts.

"Remember what Yuna said before Rin challenged her?" he opened with. "She mentioned that ACROSS had kidnapped this Child of Time. I think this Child of Time is responsible for our union here on this site." Edward seemed to get where Ash was going with the topic. He realized right there that their mission involved the rescue of this Child.

"Then that is our journey," Rin groaned. "To find ACROSS members and take back the Child of Time." It was a decision united. Since their business was completed on the site, they entered an elevator and descended to the ground, finally stepping on NYC turf. When they stepped on the ground...

"Freeze!" someone shouted. The group saw several cars with flashing red and blue lights. Men, handguns trained on the heroes, wore midnight blue uniforms. Not much else due to the darkness and headlights blinding them. "NYPD! Get your hands up!" Complying, the five rose their arms to the sky. "Turn around slowly!"

"Best listen..." Ash warned. The four turned around, allowing four men of the NYPD to come up and take each to a squad car. Great. Now the four were under arrest. How were they going to save the Child of Time...behind bars?

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TO BE CONTINUED... (Yeah, police were never part of the Turtles but I thought it would be a unique idea)


	3. Prison to the State

_Chapter 3: Prison to the State

* * *

_

They arrived in New York, crushed demons that stormed the construction site, defeated the clone of a friend and what's their reward? A trip to jail. Ash, Edward, Rin and Sakura were hauled away by the NYPD from the construction site, presumably under charges of trespassing and curfew violations. No word on whether or not vandalism charges would be applied. Incarcerated, the four had no choice but to get pictured, fingerprinted, confiscated and locked up. Pikachu was upset that Ash was imprisoned, but received a consolation prize as he got to ride on the shoulder of a young female brunette sheriff. Lucky! Inside one cell was Ash and Edward, but Edward, disarmed of his auto-mail arm, did not take this lockup anywhere close to light. "Get me outta here!" he screeched at the top of his lungs. "You don't get it! There are minions out there" Some of the other inmates were easily getting annoyed at Edward's irate ranting. The girls, next cell neighbors, covered their ears, unable to take Edward's yelling. A few of the officers would agree, even wheeling out a chair with a handful of shackles.

"If you do not calm down, we will put you in this restraint chair," one of the officers threatened. Nice try. Hearing more unrecognizable yelling from the blond, one officer armed himself with a yellow gun. He ain't going to shoot Edward and kill him, would he? Two officers opened the door, two tackled Edward and the other pulled the trigger of his gun, nailing Edward with prongs. That's when he felt electric juices zap his body, rendering his body to stop struggling with the officers. They dragged Edward out and wrestled him into the restraint chair, locking his arm and legs and wheeling his still running mouth away from the area. A blond female officer shot a look back at Ash, wondering if Edward's outrage harmed him.

"If you want, I can send a nurse to check any injuries on you," she nicely offered. Ash was far from harm with Edward. He seemed fine.

"That's okay," he assured. "I'm good. What about Pi- I mean, my mouse?" Ash was a bit concerned with Pikachu and this officer saw it in his eyes.

"Your mouse seems to have taken a liking to our young lieutenant. He's fine." Relief. "Take it easy, alright?" Ash nodded as the officer closed the cell door. Ash breathed a sigh of relief.

"You okay, Ash?" Sakura wondered through the ventilation shaft above the girls.

"Yeah, don't worry," he tried to comfort the ninja. Sakura sighed in relief, knowing that Ash wasn't hurt. "I do kinda wish I stay on the new St. Anne back in my world." St. Anne? Rin and Sakura wondered that Ash meant with this statement.

"What's this St. Anne?" Rin questioned. No shying away, Ash was willing to answer.

"It's a cruise ship, replacing the one which sunk when trainers on board, including myself, stopped Team Rocket from taking our Pokémon. My friends and I escaped from drowning. Since then, they've made a new St. Anne and were going to promote the maiden voyage by sponsoring a Pokémon Contest which my friend, May, would participate in. I was up one night and before we knew it, there we were with you guys on that site." It would seem as though the Child of Time robbed him of being with his good friends. Sakura seemed sympathetic for Ash. Rin was stone-faced, no expression.

"Sorry I asked," Sakura apologized. Ash understood her reason to say sorry.

"It's okay. Though, I'm rather curious about you two. What happened to you before our meeting and...that case of mistaken identity?" For those who've tuned in now, when Ash and Sakura met, Sakura thought Ash was someone named Sauske, possibly a good friend to her perhaps. She gave Ash a hug and almost transpired to kiss him. Speaking of Sakura, she chose to speak out her story.

"Well, I was coming back to the Hidden Leaf Village after Tsunade sent me to retrieve special herbs from another village located a couple days away on foot. I was going to learn about a new medical treatment which she did on Hinata. Well, when I about to enter, a strange force gripped me and knocked me out due to suffocation. The next moment, there you were. For the moment, I thought you were Sauske. He and you have the same hairstyle and colored clothing. Probably why I was in that state of mind at the time." Understandable. Ash got where Sakura seemed to be minding on.

"You have a crush on Sauske?" Sakura giggled, amused that Ash was quick to catch on.

"Well, somewhat. I have a bit more admiration for Sasuke than Naruto. It's not easy to be teamed up with such a knucklehead such as him." That would hurt that new name. Outside, Matsuya and a taller adult raven-black haired male were approaching the prescient. What was on their agenda?

"I don't get why our boss is highly interested in these kids," the man groaned. "I get that they've been arrested for trespassing, but why bail them out?" Matsuya walked passed her male aid, not caring about his words.

"He's seen these kids with those demons, Watanabe," she motioned. "Just be glad Iwata wasn't hired for the job." Watanabe sighed but joined Matsuya into the prescient, up to the front counter waited by a burly black male in uniform.

"Can I help you two?" he questioned. Matsuya presented pictures of what her boss, Kabupu, had taken of the four.

"Our boss has asked us to bond out these four youths for business reasons." The clerk had a good look at the four kids. They had individual shots of Ash, Edward, Rin and Sakura and a few photos of them working together against the demons. The sight of demons rose an eyebrow on the clerk's eyes. The demons captured on film?

"Is this legit?" Yeah, you don't normally see demons on the streets of New York. Matsuya showed the clerk films from the camera. Using the overhead light, the clerk viewed into the film. Sure enough, there were the demons. "My word. We may have these kids for possibly no reason." That was convincing. "I'll see if the warden will hear your case." Meanwhile, Rin had spoken her peace involving what happened to her before she met with the rest.

"...Of course, Elizabeth had awakened me to find out about our location," she finished. Ash and Sakura were wondering who Elizabeth was.

"From a place where I've only heard Japanese names, albeit many back home, Elizabeth seems to stick out," she reviewed. That's when Elizabeth decided to show up, but not in front of Sakura and Rin. She phased through the wall, seeing Ash once more. This was one surprise Ash would be scared about.

"Is everything okay for you?" she asked in a concern manner. Ash turned, eying the ghost. Right away, he got spooked.

"W-W-Who are you?" he quivered. It sounded like Ash didn't pay too much attention to Rin's story.

"I'm Elizabeth and as you can see, I'm a ghost." Pretty obvious. Ash eased down, getting a better look at the wandering soul.

"Well, you seem like an honest soul, no offense." Elizabeth didn't mind too much.

"That's okay. If I was alive, I would want to go on a date with you." Dating a ghost? Suddenly, a knock on the cell door. Ash turned while Elizabeth retreated back to Rin. It was the brunette officer with Pikachu. What's going on?

"Mr. Ketchum, you and your friends have been bonded out," she announced. This was good news. Ash stood up as Pikachu reached and climbed up his shoulder. "Let's go." As Ash exited, another officer opened the door withholding Rin and Sakura. They filed out, though interested to know if Edward would be unshackled. That's when Watanabe and Matsuya confronted the three with Pikachu. They had to be the ones who posted bond.

"Mr. Ketchum, Miss Haruno, Miss Kamishiro," Matsuya greeted. "I am Matsuya. That's all you need to know. This is my colleague, Watanabe. Our boss heard about your case and had put up the money." It was their spotter. Ash, Rin and Sakura were astonished but suspicious about their bond being paid so upfront.

"Why is your boss interested in us?" Rin questioned. Watanabe presented the photos of their actions. Impressive shots.

"Come with us." Complying, the group followed the grownups into a small room with a table. Ash and Sakura sat down on the stools while Rin leaned at the wall. Weren't they going to wait for Edward?

"Shouldn't we wait for Ed?" Ash suggested. "He's part of the team." Watanabe peered out to see Edward still struggling in the restraint chair. Ash saw the same thing, realizing that he wouldn't cooperate. "I'll tell him later."

("Good idea,") Pikachu agreed. Matsuya was ready to get down to business.

"The reason you were incarcerated was due to violations of trespassing and curfew," she began. "New York is still under protective guard since 9/11." Ire rose on the kids. What was 9/11?

"You say 9/11 as if something terrible happened," Sakura guessed. They didn't know how bad it was.

"9/11, or September 11, 2001, was a day where tragedy and terrorism united as hijacked commercial planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon in Washington. Over 3,000 innocent lives were lost on that day." Ash and Sakura cringed at the news. All those lives, men, women and children. Why? Rin was stone cold, no reaction on her face.

'Why?' she minded in a contradiction. 'Why all those lives? What were they trying to prove?' Back to why they were here.

"Anyway, what had happened to bring you here is possibly when the Statue of Liberty vanished before its reopening. Newscasters received a united call by someone claiming responsibility as a part of something called ACROSS." That name. Ash and the girls became attentive on the news of ACROSS.

"Indeed," Sakura voiced. "They said that they were holding someone named the Child of Time. It's possible that whoever this Child is, he or she may be the reason why we're together." Matsuya figured that Sakura was onto something as Watanabe fished out a photo of something different.

"Still, that doesn't explain the swarm of demons invading New York," Matsuya pointed out. Watanabe handed the new photo to Ash.

"This is who we believe is the head of the case of the mysterious kidnapping," he suspected. Ash looked at the photo, seeing a head of a white haired man with some sort of headgear and tiny glasses. "Apparently, our boss happened to have a run in with that man." That's when he decided to break the fourth wall. "And no, the the same That Man who Nabashin and Pedro had to kill to save Pedro's sexy wife, mind you." For those who've seen _Excel-Saga,_ That Man was a blondish/brunette man with a straightforward goatee. So, who was this guy?

"What about the Child of Time?" Sakura asked. More photo-fishing by Watanabe and there. He handed another photo to Sakura. It was a bleach green-haired female in a sky blue kimono. This was the Child of Time? A young girl?

"Tell me that this is a gag," Ash disbelieved. Matsuya and Watanabe shook no, telling Ash that this was true. Now what?

"Even I thought it was a joke," Watanabe huffed. "As of right now, we have no name for her." If that's the girl who brought the five-some together, they didn't want to underestimate her power. That's when alarms were blaring. A fire? The alarms prompted Edward to stop struggling with the chair.

"Code Red!" the PA system echoed. "Code Red! Intruders entering the prescient! I repeat! AH-" Someone had invaded the jail. The officers got their pepper spray, batons, handcuffs and some with handguns. The doors burst open, the clerk tossed like a rag doll. His face was scratched beyond recognition and unable to breathe.

"Daniel!" the blond officer cried for his name. The brunette officer placed two fingers on his neck, no pulse felt. He was dead. The demons roared into the giant facilitated room where even the prisoners wanted to defend the officers. Even with this sudden joint to battle, the demons pretty much outnumbered the union two-to-one. Ash was quick with a plan.

"Sakura, go and find our weapons," he instructed. "Rin, go and free Ed. Pikachu and I can assist the police." Rin and Sakura were a bit stunned with Ash's sudden attentiveness to the crisis.

"Ash, that's crazy!" Sakura disapproved.

"You got a better idea?" Rin had a second to think on the issue at hand.

"Stay alive, Ketchum," she ordered. Ash fluffed a nod before exiting the confined room. The convicts and police were giving the demons all they could dish out as Sakura and Rin split for their assignments. Not long, Rin was able to reach Edward and right to work on the locks and restraints to release him.

"About time someone got to help me," he growled. Rin didn't like Edward's tone, almost wanting to leave him in that chair. She blasted the locks with green balls of energy. Edward leaped out and was ready to fight, but realizing that he needed that auto-mail arm.

"Sakura is retrieving your arm, right now." On cue, Sakura, her pocket of ninja gear reattached to her leg, appeared out of nowhere with Edward's arm...and Rin's swords as well as Ash's sticks.

"One auto-mail arm, delivered to Edward Elric," she teased. Edward huffed to Sakura as he snagged his arm and inserted the plugs into the shoulder socket. On connection, he winced in a bit of pain.

"I'm never gonna get use to that," he groaned. As soon as Sakura gave Rin her swords and Ed transmuting the restraint chair into...a trident? Man, what can't he do? After getting weapons, they joined the big battle. If you thought the police and the heroes were armed, don't count out the convicts. They had makeshift knives, or shanks or shivs, that they were slashing and stabbing the demons instead of the prison guards. Go figure. Using his boxing skills and Pikachu's Iron Tail and electric abilities, the demons were beginning to feel the pressure overwhelm them. Many of their brethren had fallen in defeat, some dead from battle. Harden criminals: know when to confront them and know when to cower from them. Who knew that their aid to the prison officials would benefit? The guards were proud of not only their actions, but the convicts who helped out, even Ash, Edward, Rin, Sakura and Pikachu...who disappeared in the cloud of men and demons.

"Glad to get outta there," Ash huffed. "Prison life is nothing to be proud of." You said it. Rin pulled out a map, supposedly given by their bail.

"According to this, there's an alleyway that we should come across in a few blocks," she read. That was the plan. Sure enough, they arrived. When they did, out of nowhere, a dozen men in ninja masks and headbands, along with fur pelts, popped up. Their headbands had a silver plate like Sakura's, except that it had a musical note engraved, not a leaf.

"I highly doubt they're friends of yours."

"Yeah, they're Sound Ninjas," Sakura named. "They and the Hidden Leaf Ninjas are bitter enemies." Nice time to run into them. The Sound Ninjas leaped high. Everyone saw them soar into the overcasting sky. The clouds...Ash had an idea.

"Pikachu, use Thunder at the clouds!" Pikachu fired a massive amount of electricity into the sky, passing the ninjas and into the clouds. Edward thought that Ash had screwed them.

"Nice to know that Pikachu's as accurate as ever," he sarcastically nagged. Suddenly, like shurikens, lightning bolts flashed down, nailing all of the ninjas with thousands of volts. All of them collapsed in a heap of charred bodies. Ash and Pikachu sneered at Edward, thinking he should be a little more appreciative of their teamwork.

"Perhaps you should use your words more cautiously," Rin warned. Leaving Edward behind, Ash, Pikachu and the girls proceeded forward, more Sound Ninjas in their path.

"'Perhaps you should use your words more cautiously.' Who the hell does she think she is? Izumi?" In his frustrated state, he followed as the team cleaned the streets, back with their weapons and maneuvers on ninjas and demons alike. They managed to reach a dead end with a trail of downed bodies of men and otherwise. The dead end had piles of garbage and a manhole cover. Talk about lackluster.

"We beat Yuna," Sakura backtracked. "Who's next?" On cue once more, an evil cackle bellowed. Ash and Edward peered up, seeing a brown, bulky, rusty suit of armor. The helmet was fitted with a demon skull as a mask. In it's gauntlets, butcher knives. "I just had to ask." The masked armor cackled again.

"_**Perhaps, but ask and you shall receive,"**_ he snickered. Edward seethed, not just because of it's laughing.

"I thought Lust sent you to Hell, Barry!" he scowled. The name of the armor was Barry? Ha!

"You're Barry?" Ash wide-eyed. "That's the most ridiculous name I've ever heard." Barry was not amused by Ash's defiance.

"_**Perhaps that snotty alchemist didn't give you my real title,"**_ he pointed out. **_"I'm the infamous serial killer, Barry the Chopper!" _**Chopper? That's even more ridiculous. _**"But enough about me, other than the great ACROSS granting me a chance to kill people again. And don't try to kill me, since I'm already dead to begin with."**_ What's more disturbing than that? Edward wasn't amused but the same couldn't be said with Ash and Sakura.

"Then stand aside," Rin defied with her cold warning. "You claim to be a serial killer, but your throne has been trounced. We've defeated and/or killed about 100 demons and evil ninjas. We don't hesitate." Barry still remained dissatisfied.

"_**Why don't you try your mouth on my steel if you're so cocky!"**_ He raced in, his knives straight up in the air. Edward jumped in between of Rin and Barry's path, his blood-stained trident gripped.

"First comes _my_ steel!" he bellowed as he thrust the fork. CLANK! The trident pierced the armor, ceasing Barry in his stomping tracks. Nice stop. Using inner strength, Edward lifted Barry to the air, leaving the wicked spirit perplexed. "Now comes Pikachu's. Why don't you give him a taste of that metallic tail?" Despite Edward's incorrect logic, Pikachu leaped to the sky, Iron Tail activating.

("That's Iron Tail, hothead!") it growled as it swung the tail and Edward flipped Barry off of his trident. BANG! Barry was sent flying back on impact. If Pikachu's Iron Tail was that strong...oh, boy. Barry shook the cobwebs from his helmet before reentering the battle, this time his blades were lowered.

"_**Real clever, Fullmetal Alchemist,"**_ he complimented. **_"Real clever, indeed. Never thought the great boy from Resembool would use cheap but unique tactics as such. However, that strategy only works once!" _**Barry charged in once again. Edward wasn't done with Barry and his foolishness. Strapping his trident to his back, he clapped his hands and planted them to the street. That's when a small bump jumped from beneath the street where Barry would step. Step...slip! Flipping end over end, Barry lost all momentum, but flying over Edward and right to Rin. Her sword was ready. In a flash...ZING! Rin passed Barry, her sword in front of her. Hitting the ground, Barry was beheaded. Well, his helmet was split from the rest of the armor, landing harmlessly away from the battle. Ash was a bit spooked, not the same way with Elizabeth.

"Just be glad he told us before battle," he reassured himself. He looked back to see the headless Barry return to his feet. Rin and Sakura gritted in spite, realizing that this battle wasn't done. Edward anticipated that, thus the trident rearmed.

"A new blood seal, huh?" he guessed.

"_**You've noticed,"**_ Barry acknowledged. **_"Well, it's not in the same place as your brother's. You'll find victory against me impossible!"_** The heroes found themselves in a bind. Could they defeat something that can't die normally?

"Now what?" Sakura asked in fear. Ash gripped his sticks so hard, a glow began to radiate from him. He saw it, realizing that it was during the battle with Yuna. His mind zapped a plan. Barry made one more run, Ash copying and running right at Barry. Ash leaped high, making Barry look up, considering that he had a head to look up with.

"_**You?!" **_Him.

"I just wanted to give something back to ACROSS," Ash smirked as he fired blue beams at the hostile. It was a perfect shot because the beams entered Barry's armor. That's accuracy! BOOM! Something erupted in a blast inside the armor causing Barry to scream, feeling something ripping him apart. Getting a blow like that would do such a thing. Before long, the armor collapsed, flat on the blacktop. No more movement. Ash made defeating Barry from impossible to easy in one blow. Nice! So, Barry was gone. Rin, Ed, Pikachu and Sakura gazed back to Ash, who simply laced the sticks to his side. He noticed the sudden staring back from the rest in shuttered amazement. "What? I said I was returning something, didn't I?" There's returning something and then there's...what's the best way to put it?

"What you did, Ketchum, was reckless, foolish and irresponsible," Rin scolded. Gee, cut him some slack.

"Irresponsible? What, you think I was gonna let Barry live up to his title? How is that irresponsible?" In his words, Ash had claimed that he protected his teammates.

"Well, maybe but how would we know of what you had up your sleeve?" Sakura argued. "We could've been in your line of fire! You're acting like it's no big deal!" Ash was still feeling trustworthy of his own actions.

"Then answer me this. Why did I leap and fire and try to knock back Barry instead of the ground?" What kind of question was that? To Edward, Ash was just helping out, albeit unintentionally taking down Barry the Chopper...well, his spirit possessed suit of armor.

"Still Ash, that was a one in a million shot you took," he smiled. "By the way, what the hell are you, a Pokémon trainer or sniper-optioned marksman?" The fact that he used that blast of energy and struck a bull's eye into Barry and Pikachu using the clouds to multi-strike the Sound Ninjas...nothing could say that he couldn't be both. Ash walked over to the manhole cover, ready to pry it open. He found a small hole to stick a finger into, but no matter how hard he yanked, it wasn't budging.

"We need to get into the sewers before the cops decide to put us away, again." This was a tough task.

("I got something, Ash!") Pikachu squeaked as he presented a crowbar to Ash. Amused, Ash petted his mouse.

"Good boy, Pikachu." Ash, that's a mouse, not a dog. Rin came forward.

"Allow me," Rin requested. Complying, Ash flipped the crowbar to Rin who jabbed it into the hole. She pushed the crowbar with her foot, lifting the heavy cover off, allowing Ash to snag it and remove the cover.

"I'm not liking where this is going," Edward issued. Seemed like he had butterflies in his stomach.

"It's not like we have a choice," Sakura stomached. Not wasting another second, Ash and Pikachu leaped into the cavernous sewers. Rin was behind him. Edward and Sakura shot looks to each other before surrendering and joining the others. The stinky sewers were the next stop. Could they be any closer to the leader of ACROSS and/or the Child of Time?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Sewer Skiing?

_Chapter Disclaimer: I do not own DJ Ox, even though its the chorus._

_Chapter 4: Sewer Skiing?

* * *

_

A near fatal four-way, a match with a clone, locked up in prison, fighting a spirit possessed suit of armor...what's next? A trip through the sewers sounded like a good idea. Edward had sealed the manhole to prevent the NYPD of finding him, Ash, Pikachu, Rin and Sakura. Coming off their lucky shot victory against Barry the Chopper, the search for the green-haired Child of Time resumed. "That should keep the heat off our backs," Edward sighed in relief. "Now comes this." The putrid smell of waste weighed in on the group to favor returning to the surface. Yet, they had to find ACROSS and the Child of Time. Ash and Pikachu moved on ahead, walking the seemingly narrow side of the wide mouth river of sewage.

"The conditions of the garbage that swims through here has a strong potency," Rin observed. It would explain why Sakura plugged her nose, preventing the stench from bleeding into her sinuses. The scent of the sewers were nasty. Other than Pikachu, the boys didn't seem phased one bit. "How are you able to tolerate this smell?"

"Let's just say that there's a place called Gringey City and it's much worse than down here," Ash explained. He sounded like the disgusting smell in the sewers were weak air fresheners.

"You are a brave man, Ash," Sakura gulped with a nasal sound. She wasn't the only one impressed but it wasn't Rin.

"Anyone who can tolerate sewers are two types: those that have smelt worse and those who have no sense of smell, whatsoever," Edward categorized. "Apparently, you belong in the latter of the two while the rest of us want to get back on the streets." No kidding. In a moment of thought, he also noticed Rin was keeping her hands to her sides. She was able to take the foul scent? "Besides, you're taking this in stride yourself. Why the hell complain?"

"Because I'm having problems standing the sewers' scent," Rin admitted. It would occur that Ash was the only kid taking the scent as nothing much.

"Now, if only there was a better way to tour the sewer..." If that was whining by Edward, no one wanted any part. Ash turned around, willing to complain about Edward's belligerence. However, he saw something unreal. Two white jet-skis were floating around, heading to their area. This was dumb luck. He couldn't believe it.

"Wish granted?" he questioned. Everyone turned to see the jet-skis, awed by the turn of fortune. Ed, unfamiliar with these aquatic vehicles, smiled. He knew what the trainer seemed to point out.

"Wish granted." Ash and Rin pulled the jet-skis to the side and quickly hopped on board.

"I'm with Ash," Sakura called as she boarded behind and held onto Ash by the waist. Aw, how thoughtful. Defeated so suddenly, Edward was left to sit with Rin.

"No funny business," she warned. Edward didn't really care about "funny business" as he gripped the seating, not on the supposed samurai's hips.

"Not my problem," he groaned. With the turn of the handlebar, both jet-skis began to accelerate. Time for a song.

* * *

**We gotta get it up! (Let's go, let's go, yo! Let's go, let's go, let's go, yo!)  
Y'all ready to ride!  
Y'all ready to slide!  
Y'all ready to live!  
Y'all ready to (come on) die!**

**Let's go, let's go, yo! Let's go, let's go, let's go, yo!  
Y'all ready to move!  
Y'all ready to fool!  
Y'all ready to win!  
Y'all ready to...lose!**

**Let's go, let's go, yo! Let's go, let's go, let's go, yo!

* * *

**

"This is a lot better than simple walking," Ash cheered, not concerned about the bacterial-infested waters that may splash into his mouth. "We'll be at their headquarters in no time!" Sakura started to grip Ash by his side, afraid to lost her handle on the courageous trainer. She began to lean onto his back, looking to catch a few snores before arriving at ACROSS. Suddenly, uncharacteristic splashes had the leading jet-ski peer around. Rin and Edward watched as more Sound Ninjas made more appearances and got passed Ash and Sakura for the lead, running on the surface of the sludge water.

"Persistent warriors," Rin groaned. They quickly surrounded both jet-skis. This was trouble, especially when one hopped on the side of Ash's ride, nearly toppling it over. Ash regained control...and mockery.

"I'm sorry, but this is only a two-seater." He whipped the jet-ski down, trying to submerge the vehicle. Figuring his plan, the ninja leaped clear of the ski. That wouldn't work. Ash made the jet-ski hit a free wake, sending the vehicle upward and into a back-flip, slamming the ninja's head into the ceiling and dragging the head for a foot before descending. Rin and Edward zoomed passed the airborne trainer and young ninja, taking pole position. In sheer insanity, Edward stood on the seat with his pike on hand. He wasn't going to swat the ninjas from the water, was he? He was, because it's baseball season and Edward was at the 45 mph plate. Each swat was felt from areas away.

* * *

**We gotta get it up! (Let's go, let's go, yo! Let's go, let's go, let's go, yo!)  
Y'all ready to ride!  
Y'all ready to slide!  
Y'all ready to live!  
Y'all ready to (come on) die!**

**Let's go, let's go, yo! Let's go, let's go, let's go, yo!  
Y'all ready to move!  
Y'all ready to fool!  
Y'all ready to win!  
Y'all ready to...lose!**

**Let's go, let's go, yo! Let's go, let's go, let's go, yo!

* * *

**

The ninjas were down, either unconsciously drowning in the ugly river or already dead. The two wave-runners hit a split in the path. Which way to go? Ash and Sakura zipped into the left path while Rin and Edward entered the right. Rin and Edward kept banking turns, not spotting any ninjas. They got lucky enough for them to relax. Ash and Sakura? Misfortune took them into the demons' den and a wicked obstacle course. Using her ninja skills, any demon who tried to board the sudden vacant seat was skewered by the Hidden Leaf maiden. Ash may have been born with a knack for stunt vehicles because he hit jumps and doing wicked showboating stunts that knocked more of the minions back into the dirty drink. One more clank to a demon's head, crushing it's skull perfected Ash's landing on the surface with Sakura re-boarding. The jet-ski abandoned the downed demons and blew ahead.

* * *

**We gotta get it up! (Let's go, let's go, yo! Let's go, let's go, let's go, yo!)  
Y'all ready to ride!  
Y'all ready to slide!  
Y'all ready to live!  
Y'all ready to (come on) die!**

**Let's go, let's go, yo! Let's go, let's go, let's go, yo!  
Y'all ready to move!  
Y'all ready to fool!  
Y'all ready to win!  
Y'all ready to...lose!**

**Let's go, let's go, yo! Let's go, let's go, let's go, yo!

* * *

**

Rin and Edward stopped and peered back, waiting for their partners. Before long, Ash and Sakura screamed into the scene, not literally, and zipped passed the other two, no choice but to pursue. Their team back together, they continued their path down the sewers. Banking on guided turning by Rin, they were believing that they were getting closer to ACROSS, hitting more disposal pipes and avoiding getting rained on by trash.

* * *

**We gotta get it up! (Let's go, let's go, yo! Let's go, let's go, let's go, yo!)  
Y'all ready to live!  
Y'all ready to...die!**

**We gotta get it up!

* * *

**

After touring the sewers for miles, they slowed down to relax, ease themselves of tensions built up during the excitement. Ash and Sakura had quite a bit of action from their time. "Well, that was a rush!" he chirped. Edward and Rin just wanted some easement.

"We should be another mile from the ACROSS headquarters," Rin pointed out. Edward decided to go with Rin's observation, not because he was forced to obey Rin...

"Yeah, can't wait to return to Al's side," he wished. Their time of relaxation would be halted. The sounds of trudging blades slicing the murky waters. Everyone turned to the sounds. That's when they spotted an armor goldfish. No, seriously. This reddish giant goldfish with what may be a crown came to the four on two. To Ash, it was trouble.

"I knew it would be a matter of time before Team Rocket showed up," he growled. "They're the only ones who would appear in the Magikarp Sub. All that awaits is their tiring motto." Well that's nice to know.

"Give back our sub!" screeched a woman from afar. The group turned, spotting two adults and a dirty white cat with a gold oval coin on its forehead. One was a female with blood red hair styled like a wave. The other was a blue-haired male who's hair was more or less basic. Both wore white uniforms with a red "R" on each, the woman's uniform exposed her hungry stomach and thighs. They didn't come in on jet-skis...but a wooden paddle boat. That's...sad. Even Ed was a bit stunned with the show up.

"You don't suppose..." Ed fidgeted. Ash knew who it was, but realized something was really wrong.

"If that's Team Rocket, then who's in the sub?" he wondered. More laughter, but it echoed from the sub. Everyone twisted heads back to the vessel, thinking that this was trouble.

"Bow before the might of ACROSS as I, Excel, will protect the power of Lord Illpalazzo," a woman proudly bellowed as she emerged from the top of the sub. She was blond, though orange toned, wearing a turquoise spring jacket over a black undershirt with matching shorts. The heroes were quite startled with who showed up, even more astonished with how brazen she was, revealing her partnership with ACROSS.

"I'll give you something to bow at, sissy!" the redhead Rocket snapped. "That's our ride!" The other female? Nowhere near impressed...or intimidated.

"Excel accepts this fishy submarine as a battle vehicle to escort the all powerful Lord Illpalazzo to safety from the bowels of the USA!" That's when she gripped her hands together like she was praying. "Oh, Lord Illpalazzo, your faithful Excel will guard you with as many lives as you like to destroy!" Ash and Edward were immediately getting annoyed by her ranting. Look at their smug mugs.

"Is there any reason she's referring to herself in the third person?" Edward grumbled. Good question. So, how did Excel obtain Team Rocket's submarine?

"Their fateful lord forcefully borrowed our sub and made a few modifications," the cat meowed like a gangster from Brooklyn. Ed was pretty surprised with the cat able to talk like a human.

"And since when to cats have the ability to talk like the rest of us?!" The cat and alchemist were beginning to get into each others' throats.

"I took acting lessons, that's how!"

"Acting lessons?! Why the hell would an alley cat need acting lessons?!"

"I was trying to impress a female Meowth, good enough reason, tin arm?!"

"Sardine breath!"

"Infant's playmate!" Uh oh! To Edward, that talking cat crossed the line. He leaped onto the boat and...to put it simply, nothing pretty.

"Oh, you really know where to find useful ways to piss me off, huh? Allow me to show you what I do to people when I get really pissed!" Edward, we get your point. No need to pummel them to death for it. Everyone else watched on as Edward continued to beat the living crap on Team Rocket in silent gawks. With one more uppercut, Edward sent the trio from the sewers to the skies.

"Well, our stay wasn't that long," the blue-haired whimpered. They began to sail toward the Atlantic. Bye bye.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they sounded in unison as they disappeared. Think we'll see them again? Back in the sewers, Edward's anger wasn't quelled yet. He gazed to Excel who didn't seem intimidated. Quite a brave face on the representative of ACROSS.

"Now, how about taking us to your lord," he ordered. Excel revealed a small remote control, hitting a button. The sub opened tiny "scales," propellers lowered to the dirty water. The spinning blades made Ash believe she was taking off again.

"She's trying to escape!" he snapped at the rest. "Ed, get back on board!" Edward obeyed, hopping back with Rin before they gave chase. It didn't take long at all for the two jet-skis to reach the Magikarp sub. Excel seemed entertained.

"So, you challenge Excel in the modified sub, eh?" she chirped in glee. "Come on!" Inside, she played with the remote, the "mouth" of the sub dropping floating black balls...which spikes protruded out of each. Evasive maneuvers! Ash and Rin managed to slalom their way through that barrage. Rin had a thought.

"We need to close in on the submarine!" she pointed at the obvious. Ash knew that reaching the sub was important. He had part two.

"Yeah, Ed and Sakura can board and take down Excel," he thought up the strategy. "Let's punch it!" Throttled up, Ash and Rin raced inward. Suddenly, mechanical arms extended out from the false fins. They swung wildly at the two, hoping to knock off the skiers. Ash and Rin dodged each swipe. Edward got his pike ready as Sakura got more of those throwing knives. She chucked the knife, striking the arm clean off the ball-bearing joint. Edward had a swat at the other, disabling the mechanism. Ash and Rin accelerated their jet-skis to each side of the sub as Edward and Sakura leaped on the sub, prompting Ash and Rin to fall back. Edward opened the hatch and leaped inside, Sakura following.

"Teacakes!" Excel screamed in fear. The sub began to rock a bit with a tussle inside the hull. One inner explosion later, the sub's new retreat propellers ceased function. The sub's wake lessened as a sign that the pursuit was over. This round was finished...CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!

"I can't believe you!" Sakura snarled inside. Was she mad at Excel? She emerged, but insisted on looking inside the disabled sub. "Real mature,Ed!" Sakura was mad at Edward? What could _he_ have done? He crawled up the hatch...bruises over his forehead. You...feeling okay? The heroes exchanged places, Ash wondering what Edward did to upset Sakura.

"Okay, what did Ed do?" he exaggerated.

"He did something that little kids shouldn't see," Excel advised. Whatever was in there, Ash and Rin peered inside...and were profoundly disturbed. Discomforting looks over to Ed, Ash and Rin were highly offended.

"Ed, seriously? Grow up!" Edward was steaming up again, being mentioned as small...in his opinion.

"I would agree with Ketchum on this," Rin defended. "We're going through a serious matter. Something like this is best left elsewhere, preferably where no child should find." Ed realized that they weren't talking about his height. Still, he tried to make it sound like no big deal.

"Hey, when I do alchemy, the rearrangement is somewhat out of my control," he tried to defend himself. Flustered, a malcontent Rin got back on her jet-ski as did Ash. They circled around the sub, and noticed land. Were they one step closer to finding ACROSS?

"Well done, adversaries," an older man gloated. "Impressive job in finding the ideological organization known as ACROSS." From above, a tall man, wearing a cloak as a cape, descended onto the concrete platform ahead of them. To the heroes' astonishment, it was the guy from the photo. This was the leader of ACROSS. Excel saw the man herself, jumping onto her feet and raising an arm to him.

"Hail Illpalazzo!" she exuberantly greeted. Lord Illpalazzo. They finally met.

"Excel, despite your defeat, you did an exceptional job. You helped me in studying the patterns of our crashers." That's interesting, getting a compliment for a failed assignment.

"Thank you, sir. But I do deserve to be punished for not beating them." Somewhat humbled, a rope dropped down in which Illpalazzo tugged. A trap door sprung open from below Excel, beginning to plummet from above the sewage. Ash and Rin slowly accelerated to keep themselves from joining Excel in that unknown area. However, the door closed up, allowing the drivers to stop.

"Now, as for you..." Illpalazzo was ready to address the team, but Edward would be voicing before him.

"Look, all we want is the child," he made the point. "Either hand her over or be pulverized." Kindly put, Illpalazzo seemed nowhere near worried.

"You may act all controlling now, but I will spin the fate of you four." He forgot Pikachu. Another rope lowered. Before anyone could ask, he yanked it. The floor under the water, under them opened up. They screamed in panic as they fell down the well, vanishing from sight. "Enjoy the time warp from which returning is impossible." A time warp? What will happen now? They've been separated from ACROSS, Illpalazzo, the Child of Time... Were they going to be stuck in the ever swirling warp forever?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	5. Chaos to Central

_Chapter 5: Chaos to Central

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_

'Sounds of a...train?' Sakura pondered with her eyes closed, feeling motion from her feet and hearing the. She opened her eyes...to something really startling. There were people in seats...none of which had Edward, Ash or Rin benched on. She peered out a window. Trees were whizzing by, yet she was still. The rumble of iron below, the speed of her standing still... "Where's this locomotive going?" She's on a train. Then, she looked down, noticing that she wasn't in the same uniform. She was wearing a red trench coat, almost similar to Edward's. She also had a red miniskirt, barely thigh-length and wearing different boots, the toes covered. "How did I get on this ride and these clothes?" She peered around some more. She needed a double-take on one passenger. It was a silver suit of armor, even the helmet was silver and not with a skull on the face. Immediately, she thought she was in trouble. 'Oh no...is that Barry's brother? Where's Ash and Pikachu when you need them?' Only Ash and Pikachu? Not worried about Rin or Edward? Last time, she was with the four jet-skiing through the sewers of New York City, stopping Excel in a sub-jacked Magikarp submarine. They were met by the head of ACROSS, Lord Illpalazzo, only to be dropped into some sort of abyss. Now it appeared that they were all split up.

"_**I wonder what's taking Ed so long," **_the armor wondered. Who was that armor addressing?

"Al, don't get worked up about it," a female spoke up. Al, as in Alphonse? From the adjacent seat, a blond with a ponytail. "He'll show his ass eventually. I can't believe that he's forced me to hang around with the colonel, that prick." Sakura, hearing the armor's name, became enlightened. That was Alphonse Elric, Edward's brother? She backtracked to when she met the rest of the faction. Edward lost his right arm saving his brother's soul and had it replaced with auto-mail. So then, could the other blond be a sister? A girlfriend, perhaps? That's when Al saw Sakura, lone and isolated from everyone else. Maybe she didn't think too highly of the danger she would bring.

"_**Hey, miss?" **_Sakura heard Alphonse, not sure if she was the target of his attention.**_ "There's room over here if you want a seat." _**Well, that was a fine gesture. Sakura chose to stop by them, sitting next to the blond, who was wearing a black leather jacket over a white blouse and a black miniskirt.

"Sorry about that," Sakura apologized. "I guess I was spacing out a bit."

"_**Hey, don't worry about it. I am wondering why you're wearing Ed's trench?" **_Sakura removed the coat, turning to the back, clean of any markings. When she looked to the front, Al saw that the back was spotless. He made an oops. **_"Sorry, it's not Ed's. My fault." _**No big deal, Sakura reapplied the coat.

"So, where's this bus going?" It's a tease, people.

"The train station in Central, then a connection to Resembool," the blond listed. "I'm Winry Rockbell." Rockbell? So, she's not a sister. Girlfriend possibility was still open to debate. Winry and Sakura shook hands, a good sign of friendship.

"Sakura Haruno." Winry hummed, intrigued with her name.

"Sakura, as in the cherry blossoms in Japan?"

"Yeah, that's right." Nice insight. Al giggled, considering the cuteness of the name...and the fitting.

"_**It actually fits you,"**_ Al snickered. **_"The red clothing, the cherry hair...it suits you pretty well."_** Sakura chuckled a bit, amused at Al's childlike rant.

"Yeah, I guess. By the way, Al...is it Al?" Al began to quiver a bit. She knew his name?

"_**H-H-H-How did-"**_ Knowing what Al would be saying, she thumbed Winry. Winry shuttered, knowing she gave up her name by accident.

"I might have spoken a little too loud," she admitted. Al calmed greatly to that info.

"_**Well, then. My full name is Alphonse Elric. I may be a year younger than Ed, but the way I look now, nobody would think that way."**_ Oddly enough, he had a point. Who would believe that an eight-foot walking, talking suit of armor was a younger brother to Edward? During that time, a blond man in a blue military uniform strolled to and whispered to a raven-haired, Asian looking man in what may be street clothes. None of the three payed too much attention to the two. That blond returned to the front, exiting the caboose. The train steamed ahead, unaware that there were stowaways on the roofs of each passenger car. More demons. This couldn't get any more interesting...but it would. Men in dark business suits entered the car holding the three. The Asian man saw the guys, pulling out revolvers. Trouble.

"He's been let out, I see," he muttered. Who? "I guess some anticipated caution was necessary." He pulled a white glove from his pocket. Some red markings were displayed, unsure of what it was. That's when a shot rang into the air, getting everyone alert and scared.

"Alright, everyone, pay attention!" one man shouted. "This line is now in the hands of Bald. Anyone who temps us will earn a bullet to the brain. Do I make myself clear?!" No one barked back. Sakura felt the pouch still taped to her thigh. She wasn't defenseless. Trying not to screech the armor, Alphonse managed to draw a circle with two triangles with chalk, one mirrored and overlapping the other. "Good! Intel has informed us that the great Fullmetal Alchemist is on this train. Surrender him to us and no one will be harmed." They were looking for Edward. Sakura pulled black marbles from her pouch. Knowing a ninja, it's possible that those were smoke bombs. One gun-toter got to where she, Alphonse and Winry were. Quickly, he turned to the voice.

"Brutus," he called. "His brother's here! Fullmetal can't be too far away." Brutus bobbed, knowing Edward to make some sort of appearance. The brute trained his gun on the poor trio.

"Get his brother to talk. He'll tell us where Fullmetal is." Obeying, the man pointed his gun to Alphonse. He didn't flinch. It would be hard to tell because of the helmet.

"_**You are aware that your gun can't hurt me,"**_ he groaned. Perhaps so.

"Maybe, but that can't stop us from having a little fun your female passengers," he mocked. That laughter seemed to have blinded him from what Alphonse had planned. He punched the circle, activating a light. Without warning, a stick-like stump shot out, smashing into...if he already has kids, thank goodness for him. He dropped his revolver, grabbing his crotch in severe pain. It was that bad of hurt. The others turned to their fallen comrade as Alphonse stood.

"Bad move!" Brutus shouted as he and his friends opened fire. The bullets struck Alphonse, but he stood like a statue. That's when Sakura tossed her marbles, nailing the men with thick clouds of smoke. As expected, everyone ducked to avoid getting smoke in their lungs as Sakura raced in. Someone cracked a window, allowing the billowed smoke to escape the confines. When the smoke cleared, almost all of the gunmen were down for the count. Sakura was getting up from one of her victims. She was in the worst place possible. Brutus got up himself, aiming the gun at the back of Sakura's head. He was mad as hell. "I don't know who you are, but maybe I should finish you off." He wouldn't get to pull the trigger. That Asian-looking man? He dressed his hand and snapped his fingers. That's when Brutus blew up in flames. He screamed a bit before succumbing to the scorching pain. Sakura saw the charcoal aftermath before twisting to the Asian.

"They knew about Alphonse but not the Flame," he murmured. Finally, their eyes met. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're a ninja-in-training." How did he know? Sakura couldn't hide the fact.

"Nothing appears to escape your senses," she huffed in a bit of panic. The man didn't see her as a threat...to him, at least.

"Col. Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist." A member of the military. Realizing what position it involved, Sakura did a salute, her opened hand diagonally over her forehead and palm down. "No real need to salute. We got bigger fish to fry." Sakura nodded.

"You got a plan?"

"I do. Alphonse and I will strike each room while you launch a surprise attack from the roof of these cars." It was a straightforward plan. Sakura decided to go with the plan, knowing that a ranked official held a mighty power. Now came a tough task: how to reach the roof? Alphonse got to Roy's side, giving Roy a plan. "Alphonse, you think you can give this ninja a lift outside?" Alphonse bobbed, getting the plan down. He led, Roy and Sakura following and letting Winry to tend to any innocents' wounds. When Alphonse opened the door, they were meet with more goons.

"_**Here we go again,"**_ he gulped. They drew their firearms and pulled triggers. The shots kept bouncing off the armor, some of those bullets ricocheting and striking them back. They fell to the pain of ammunition entering their bodies. All Alphonse could do was sigh. **_"They never really learned a lesson from the last time."_** He turned back to Roy and Sakura. There was open space above, between the two cars. Sakura scaled Alphonse with ease, eventually jumping to the roofs. There, demons spotted the lone warrior.

"Leave it to Illpalazzo to keep us all busy with his hell spawn," Sakura scoffed. The demons began their charge at the ninja. Whipping out her knives, she began the counter-assault. It would seem as though Sakura had experience with mobile battlegrounds. Not so much with the demons. A few demons leaped at Sakura...only to fly straight off the train. Next stop: the morgue. Those landings were going to be tough to stick. Those that remained on the roof were kicked off, literally. Leading the charge from below, Alphonse bulldozed his way through the cars, Roy staying close in case the ramming suit of armor missed a goon or two. Slashing and kicking, smashing and scorching, the trio barreled their way to the engine. Five minutes since beginning, Sakura got onto the roof of the engine car. Inside, a couple of thugs held two coal men as hostages, a pair of assault rifles to their spines. Sakura dug into her pouch, pulling out some red slips of paper. "Well, glad I shopped before leaving the Anbu Black Ops office. Two good paper bombs should do the trick." She knelt down, hanging head under feet. She flicked a paper bomb which stuck onto the goon's back. The thug didn't notice the slip stick. The cunning of a ninja. The paper lit up, flaming the slip up to his back before...BOOM! The slip blew up, igniting the dirty clothes and rattling the organs. The bang banged up the goon so bad, he collapsed.

"What the-!" the other goon hiccuped, seeing his partner fall. Sakura managed to get another paper bomb to stick on the buttocks of the other goon. Anyone say steroid spanking? BOOM! The paper bomb ruptured in a blast. That goon felt that his rump got blown from the skin shallow, tailbone deep as if it was gone. He was down to his knees, holding his butt in anguishing pain. The train workers realized that someone had saved them from death. The goon got to look up, eying the workers wind up for a punch. KAPOW! Forget the blast in his seat, he just got knocked out. Sakura swooped down to meet the workers, proud to have save them.

"Thanks, kid," one guy praised. "I don't know what the hell you did, but that was grateful." Sakura's response? A grin and a thumbs up. Suddenly, there was a racket echoing from the car behind.

"Sounds like Bald's got company," the other worker figured. Roy and Alphonse had to have reached the head honcho in this caper. In that car, Roy and Alphonse had engaged battle with a dirty raven-haired grunt of a man with a patch over an eye and fatigues all over him. His left arm appeared to have auto-mail, larger than Edward's arm, yet had two gun barrels over the wrist portion.

"Ah, the brother of the Fullmetal Alchemist," the eye-patched man snarled. "What, Edward too scared to face me once more?" Roy did not take kindly to the mocking of the hostile.

"_**Give it up, Bald,"**_ Alphonse ordered. **_"You couldn't win before, you can't win today."_** Bald scoffed a cackle, not amused with Alphonse's threat. Roy had the glove ready. Seeing the glove, Bald became enlightened to allow a piece of his mind.

"Oh, I wouldn't light this place if I were you. This place holds some flammable cargo and one spark would consume you and that tin can." Roy was an inch away from touching thumb and index finger. "Of course, I shouldn't worry about such combustible matter. All that I need is the auto-mail and a few rounds to end you for good." Raising the arm, he opened fire. Roy dove behind Alphonse as he took the shots. The bullets dented Alphonse, looking more powerful than what the other goons had. The bad struggle continued as Sakura opened the door behind Bald. "Now that ACROSS had granted me freedom, I'll make the best use and find Fullmetal for revenge." He was searching for Edward. Sakura knew that Illpalazzo was busy before they had arrived. She had to strike. Bald had his back facing the door, minding Alphonse and Roy. Element of surprise. She thought to what Ash would do in a situation like this and regardless of whoever he faced, he fought. She only wondered whatever happened to Ash and Pikachu. She rushed in, one more paper bomb in hand. Instead of sticking it onto Bald, she stamped it on a crate on one side.

"Get back!" Sakura shouted as Roy huddled by the door. Alphonse heard the warning, bailing out the door with the flesh. When the door closed, Bald was left scratching his head, unsure of what transpired.

"What the hell was that about?" Dude, look to your left. He turned to see the paper bomb, fuse outrageously short. "Oh, sh-" KABOOM! The car exploded. Behind the door, Alphonse held the door shut, feeling the rupture of the blast as the remains of the car, and Bald, pursued a different rail than the one he, Roy and Sakura were on. The train was slowing down significantly without the engine pulling. With the flammable cargo, Bald couldn't have survived the blast.

"You were aware of the combustible cargo?" Roy guessed. Sakura had to if she planned on putting the paper bomb on a crate.

"Bald has a big mouth," she claimed. Ah, that made sense. An hour passed when the engine, which had also separated from the cargo car, returned to pick up the rest of it's line. Thanks to the hardwear from Winry and the hard work of the workers, Alphonse and Sakura, the train was back moving. It would take another hour before reaching the train station, safely this time. Everyone got off, including Roy, Winry, Alphonse, so on, so on...

"Well, that was rather eventful," Winry stretched. "Didn't count on a ninja coming to our rescue and not Ed. The next time I see him, I've got a wrench ready to shove up his ass."

"_**Jeez, why are you so obsessed with beating Ed all of a sudden?"**_ Alphonse shuttered. **_"Maybe something beyond our control sent Ed elsewhere and having him replaced with Sakura."_** That had Sakura thinking to herself.

'Al's right,' she minded. 'I'm here in Central in the past. This is where Ed came from but where could llpalazzo send them to. Besides, who's back in the Hidden Leaf Village? I hope it's Ash helping Naruto.'

"Listen, why don't we head to the State office for the debriefing?" Roy suggested, interrupting Sakura's deep thoughts. She listened, choosing to join Roy.

"I think I'll head home to Resembool, alright?" Winry denied. Well, that's one member short. Still, she hopped onto the her connection, heading home. With the split, Sakura joined with Al and Roy, probably with some extra shopping on her mind. Who knows what's in Central? As we depart from Central and Sakura, we enter a village containing roundish roofs, a mountain of heads and a stench of perspiration. A silhouette of a woman holding a sword readied his or herself for a battle ahead.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	6. A Crouching Blade in Hidden Leaves

_Chapter 6: A Crouching Blade in Hidden Leaves

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_

A village stood in front of Rin, edging close as she gripped her sword. Rin was looking quite different. She wore the green and purple like her old wear, except her old wear wasn't a sleeveless fatigue with fishnets holding the fatigue in place on the upper portion and skimpy violet shorts with the same boots as Sakura wore...before she found herself on the train ride to Central. "I take it that this must be the Hidden Leaf Village," she surveyed. She strolled into the village, modern people in ragged kimonos shopping around. There were some youngsters racing around on top of roofs, like they were playing a game of Tag. This village was more lively than she would ask for. "Now all I need is a dash of tranquility." As she continued through the village, her mind was her own, not too concerned about what fates may have had befallen Edward, Ash or Sakura. She would be interrupted.

"Excuse me, young visitor," a masked man spoke out. Rin turned to see a tall, white-haired man in a grayish vest and a blue skin suit. He had a blue cloth which covered his mouth, nose and left eye. Rin had taken note of the headband with the plate. That leaf imprint, the same as Sakura's.

"I see that you are a ninja of this village hidden in the leaves." The masked man was a bit fascinated with her immediate notice.

"Remarkable observation. I think I'll leave you alone while I head to the book store. The latest volume of a popular romance novel just came out today." He walked past Rin, as if she was a statue. Yeah, old line. Live with it. "Oh, and if you see Naruto around, tell him that he needs to address the Hokage for a new mission. Tell him Kakashi's orders." That was rather random.

"How can I find him?" The man stopped and turned, his eye with the look of the obvious.

"You can't miss him. He wears orange." That helped. The man walked off, that new romance novel with his name on it...what was his name? That encounter over, Rin proceeded on, trying to figure out how she ended up in the Hidden Leaf Village alone and not at her school, protecting Kazuki from harm...if that was her intent in the first place. Well, at least the alone part was nice. No Sakura trying to brush sides away, no Edward whining complaints, no Ash and his headstrong leading. Then, without warning and direction of appearances, Sound Ninjas appeared. Rin was surrounded in a snap. The villagers scattered, not wanting anything to do with them. Rin was alone against at least ten hostile ninjas.

"So, an outsider wanders into the Den of Tone," one of the ninjas sneered. "Of course, you carry a sword, possibly a disciple of Orochimaru, yet you hang around here. Why is that?" Rin clenched her teeth, biting her will not to answer. She did want to add that this was her first visit.

"Forgive me if I must correct you, but I'm not from this era," she scorned. The ninjas thought she was trying to make an excuse, thus not allowing any access to her passing.

"That won't work with us," another ninja scoffed. They jumped toward her, not realizing the threat from above.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" someone shouted. Rin looked up, spotting a silhouette above the attacking ninjas...multiply into a handful. The rain of silhouettes clobbered the ninjas as if they were prey to a big predator. All of the ninjas collapsed and slammed the ground in a chorus of thuds. The silhouettes...they were all spiky blond boys with orange jumpsuits. Their faces, all alike, had whisker markings on their cheeks. In a flash, they all vanished in a poof of smoke...except for one. He did appear to be a few inches shorter than Rin. "Ambushing a lady like that is so against conduct. When I become Hokage, that will be punishable by death. Believe it!" Someone's full of himself. Then as he turned to face Rin... "So, are you all-" ...He faced Rin's sword.

"I did not ask for assistance, Uzumaki," she murmured lowly. Who now? "And before you ask, I was told about how you were such a clown, a knucklehead as such." This was the knucklehead? This was Naruto?

"Well, that's fine, but you don't need to shove your sword into my face. How was I suppose to know that you would be alright alone? I just acted on instinct." Rin wasn't about to let his excuse fly, or fall for that matter.

"I should also explain that I fought with these ninjas before in New York." Naruto seemed perplexed with Rin's information.

"What's New York? A village about two weeks away?" Rin withdrew her sword away from his face, sheathing it back.

"Never mind. Someone named Kakashi wanted me to inform you that you need to see this Hokage for a new mission." Naruto slapped his head, knowing more work was ahead of him.

"This has been a great day. I finished another session with Pervy Sage, come back home, aided you from a Sound Ninja ambush and now Grandma Tsunade has another mission?" Long day for him, huh? That's when sirens blared throughout the village. Their work wasn't done yet.

"What's that?"

"That's the invasion siren. More hostile fleets." Battle stations!

"Naruto!" someone, a female, called out. Naruto and Rin twisted to the sound, eying a bleached blond in purple with white sleeves. Naruto had to be familiar with her.

"Ino, what's going on?" Ino rested a foot from Naruto and Rin, catching her breath.

"There are demons wreaking havoc all over the village! The chunin have been stretched thin because of the amount and formation of attack!" Ino seemed panicked. It had to have been more than the demon invasion.

"Anything else that you're in great tremble?" Rin questioned. Ino could ask who she was, but felt more important about letting other news be told.

"Yeah, the Shinobazu have joined the demons and captured Hinata." Naruto was showing outrage. Rin? Intrigue.

'Hinata captured?' she thought. 'Could she be the supposed Child of Time Illpalazzo had kidnapped?' Interesting hunch. Naruto believed that this Hinata had protection that was lost.

"What happened to Kiba and Shino?" he growled. "And Neji for that matter?" Ino was too winded to be angry at Naruto for not paying attention. Not to worry. Rin back-sheathed Naruto in the back of the skull.

"In case you weren't paying attention, your peers are battling other foes. The least we can do is aid them and make sure this village is safe." Although Rin was correct, Nartuo did not appreciate getting a sheath to the head.

"I was just making sure. You didn't really need to beat me with your weapon." He took a breath to reorganize himself. "Okay. Ino, you take shelter and recover. We'll take care of these bozos." As proof, Rin drew her sword back out, straddling it on her shoulder. For Ino, this was one tall order for the blond boy.

"Are you sure, Naruto?" she somewhat doubted. In Rin's view and memory, Naruto was acting like Ash, the flow of determination beaming from and to him. Naruto presented a fist at Ino, a grit sporting his face.

"If I want to become Hokage, I need to defend those I watch over. That will be my true Nindo, my ninja way. With her help, I'll drive these demons back to where they reared their ugly heads and teach the Shinobazu not to kidnap anyone from this village." Sheer will.

'This young man...' Rin minded. 'Why does he remind me so much of Ketchum? Bravery? Focus? Calm under fire? If he has dealt with the Shinobazu, it would make some sense in why he's so determined.' Ino had agreed and ran off to heal any wounds she had suffered. That gave Rin some time to puzzle a question. "If you don't mind me asking, who are these Shinobazu?" Naruto had to know who they were. Luckily, there was a history between them.

"They're rouge ninjas who commit violent crimes around villages." Yikes! Volent crimes like murder?

"So in other words, we need to stay on our guard." Naruto nodded, confirming Rin's strategy.

"Alright, but first, let's do a little spread of demon fumigation, ninja style. Palm my shoulder and I'll do the rest." Palm the shoulder? Surrendering, Rin placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. That's when a transparent flame began to blaze around the orange-clad youngster.

'He possesses magic as well? Wait, this is an inner strength that's billowing. What is this?' Soon enough, Rin was consumed in the flames. Naruto got his hands together, erecting a cross with his fingers.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Energy shot out before a horde of duplicate Narutos and Rins emerged. Rin was amused with the copies of herself, almost to the point of forgetting what Sakura described him as.

"Reminds me of Shikimori as he emerged when his harem revived him. Unfortunately, I was part of that harem." Naruto had to wonder what Rin hiccuped when she mentioned herself in a harem in a negative description.

"Sounds like it was a forced relationship." If only he knew of Rin's past.

"Family arranged." To Naruto, she was left no choice, almost to the point of awarding her sympathy. Rin stood forward, ready to address the clones. "All Uzumakis and Kamishiros scatter across this village and eradicate the demons from here!" All the Naruto and Rin clones saluted the real Rin.

"Yes, ma'am!" the clones chanted in unison before spreading out and around. The clones engaged battle with demons and helping other young ninjas, such as two wild-haired brunettes wearing gray hooded coats.

"Fang over Fang!" they yelled as they charged three demons in spinning whirlwinds. The demons leaped to the air, avoiding the strike from head-on...but left themselves open from above where a Rin and Naruto clone pair stomped down as the two whirlwinds bounced off a wall and heading right back. Who's in the hot seat now? The demons got drilled heavily. The fiends smacked the dirt hard while one hooded brunette transformed into a small white puppy. They turned to see the clones, mostly Naruto. "Hey, Akamaru, that was Naruto saving us." Akamaru yipped in a happy tone for the cloning aide. Another part of the village had a bun-brunette female in a Chinese blouse fending off a couple more. Never fear, the clones had arrived.

"N-N-Naruto?" she gulped.

"Leave these guys to us, Ten-Ten," the clone cocked. Clone Rin stormed out, her hand on the hilt of her sword. SLASH! One demon was split in half. No question on that fiend. Naruto clobbered the other demon to submission, a flurry of punches making contact. Ten-Ten fired a bomb right at the demon, getting a feeling that the Naruto and Rin were clones. KABOOM! Those were clones and they vanished in the blast. Ten-Ten was blessed with the showing of the blond in orange.

"Thanks, Naruto." The clones were making very short work, taking these demons with barely any resistance. Each demon that was stopped, a chunin was saved. Meantime, the real Naruto and Rin kept pacing through the village, decimating demons left and right. Five minutes after the spread clone fumigation of demons began, the young ninjas regained control, fighting better than before. The demons were falling faster than the Hindenburg, and not just because it was a blimp. Rin and Naruto raced forward, clearing the path in case. That's when they both saw a violet haired girl wearing a beige coat. She was unconscious. Naruto knew her. Rin knew that the Shinobazu had to be close.

"Hinata!" he cried out. Hearing Naruto call out the girl's name told her that the mission to rescue the Child of Time was ongoing, meaning that she wasn't in this world. She had to be in her or Ash's world.

"So, she isn't who I was looking for," she groaned. Naruto shot a look, dissatisfied from the travel.

"When this is over, you're talking about it." They continued to sprint forward when Rin saw something reflect the sun. SLASH! A quick-draw cut wires strewn to keep Hinata from rescue. Then, laughter.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't one pain in our necks, Naruto Uzumaki," one man seethed. Rin and Naruto looked up, eying three individual ninjas. One of the three males had a maroon stripe across his face, over the bridge of his nose. He also had a bowl hat with a blank plate and an umbrella on his back. The second was a brunette with a huge clawed arm. The last was a blue-haired man with a magenta sleeveless shirt. No doubt that they knew him.

"Shura!" Naruto scowled, mentioning the stripe. Then then brunette with the metal claw. "Toki!" Finally, the blue-haired. "Monju! Let Hinata go!" Shura and Monju snickered at the pleas of Naruto, getting no sympathy.

"Oh, boy," Toki shuddered. "He's just as stubborn as when he had that Taijutsu boy and the pink-haired chick." Right away, Toki knew Naruto was acting himself.

"Well, if you insist, we'll let you have the girl," Shura teased. Naruto and Rin knew better. It was a setup.

"What do you take me for?" he snarled. "An idiot?" Funny you should mention that.

"That's what Sakura called you," Rin scorned. Naruto gave a smug to the sky, wanting to scold Sakura for that moment while unaware that she was with Roy Mustang and Alphonse Elric.

"If you ask me, I'm done talking," Toki geared. He wound up his arm, the fingers beginning to spin like drills. Naruto summon one clone without a word said.

"Sure I had Sakura and Lee back then," he confessed a bit. "But that won't matter once I wiped the snot from your behinds!" Don't you mean snot from their _noses_, or _ stool_ from their behinds? That was a bit on the dumb side. The clone began to wriggle his hands and fingers like he was manipulating something. Before long, a ball of energy was showing, a physical and powerful presence striking Rin's composure.

'That energy...' she minded. 'That energy is practically half the energy that Shikimori displays, yet this energy is completely different than when he made all those other clones. In addition...there's a demonic aura radiating. It's as if...a demon does exist in him.' Toki raced in, the two Narutos as well.

"Eat this," he roared. "Crimson Wetland!" Toki's arm swung at the two, striking one while the other evaded his strike. The hit Naruto? The clone.

"Say goodbye to your arm!" he countered. "Rasengan!" Naruto slammed the ball into the arm. On impact...BOOM! A huge explosion flamed. Toki was launched far into the sky, almost the same way Team Rocket departed from Manhattan's sewers. His arm? Scrap metal. One down. Naruto was still on his feet, grinning over the one Shinobazu member. Shura grasped his umbrella and jumped toward Rin.

"Umbrella Style: Torpedo Spear!" he chanted as he forwarded his unopened umbrella aiming right at Rin. Rin stood still like she was anticipating this move. She had her hand on the hilt of her sword. Yet, she didn't budge. The umbrella/Shura combo nailed Rin in the chest, knocking her and dragging her body across the ground, kicking up dirt. Shura landed, practically satisfied that he ended Rin's life. Did he? "Well, that was too easy. I was hoping to have some fun with her." Naruto was in dismay. He believed that someone who he knew for about a half-hour was gone...until he saw...there she was! She appeared behind Shura. That was quick! Shura was sure of himself that he tagged Rin to death. "Impossible! I swear I crushed your heart, literally." That's when the dust cleared. It was a shikigami, just like what she used on the clone of Yuna. Crafty and cunning.

"That's an interesting substitution jutsu you just did. What kind of chakra are you using?" Chakra? Was that their energy stored?

"It's not chakra," Rin disagreed. "It's straight up magic, like my Dahrim, discipline of arms." A green energy started glowing on Rin and her sword. Shura was impressed with Rin's quickness.

"I must say, I may have been underestimating you, young lady," he sneered more. "However, even I have a couple of tricks in my sleeve." He grabbed his umbrella and pulled on the handle. What's going on? Out came a secret weapon: a large sword. That's a mighty fine sword he had. "Sure, this is a new sword I picked up in the black market, but I got the handle of it rather quickly." Rin realized something about his statement. She believed that she had to advantage while Naruto made a quick punch KO on Monju as he evaded the thin wires. Sure, they were scattered but that failed to catch the blond.

"If this is true, then you've already lost. For you see, I've had years of training and discipline." Shura scoffed, almost feeling joked.

"I've lost? You may have this substitution for chakra, but that's where you've got the disadvantage. Let me show you!" Both Rin and Shura swung their swords as Rin passed him. Both stood, their swords still in front while their backs were turned. No movement, but Naruto saw that Shura's blade was still clean and Rin's had a few drops of blood. Sure enough, Shura collapsed onto the dirt, defeated. Rin swiped the air, ridding the blood from her instrument then sheathing the sword. "I'm sorry ACROSS...I...failed." He slipped into unconsciousness. That was it. No sweat. Naruto and Rin came over to Hinata's side, willing to see if she was alive, let alone in good shape.

"Hinata?" Naruto called, picking her head up. "Hinata!" Hinata started to open her eyes, which appeared to have no pupil? Was she blind?

"Is...Is that you, Naruto?" she weakly groaned. Naruto nodded.

"We've taken care of those captors. You're safe." Hinata looked alright. That's when she turned bright red.

'Naruto is...holding me in his hands! This is...so much!' With that, she fainted back down. Rin studied Hinata's reaction while Naruto was rather dumbfounded.

"She's still acting this way." Rin thought that Hinata's behavior was for a purpose of another meaning.

'It could be just me, but I think Hinata has feelings for Uzumaki,' she pondered. 'She's just...very timid in telling him. Almost the same way with me involving Shikimori.' She snatched her and picked her up onto her back. "I'll carry her." Naruto looked over to a pair of doors of a building that they were close to.

"Well, what do you know. Tsunade's office. Let's head in." Good idea. Rin followed Naruto into the tall building, her mission completed. But where one mission ended, another began...on the high-sea! Nighttime on a cruise liner, Edward...and Pikachu? Wasn't Pikachu suppose to be with Ash? Edward was seething with the misplacement that he suffered...and didn't want to bottle it up.

"WHAT THE HELL BROUGHT ME ONTO THIS SHIP!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Pikacu opened his ears after Edward ran out of air. All the mouse Pokémon could do was sigh.

("Sheesh, Ed, take a chill pill,") he squeaked. If the Child of Time wasn't in Central or the Hidden Leaf Village, could she be on this vessel?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	7. Saint Anneihilation

_Chapter 7: St. Anne-ihilation

* * *

_

The sunrise, the ocean breeze, the still waters after its wake... If you were Edward, that still wasn't enough to lift spirits...or sleep from his eyes. He hung on the back of a cruise liner, still wondering how the heck he wound up there...and with Ash's Pikachu, not with Alphonse on that train ride to Central. So far, Sakura was on that train helping Alphonse and Roy stopping Bald while Rin was in the Hidden Leaf Village aiding Naruto with the Shinobazu. Let's see now: Sakura was in Edward's world, Rin was in Sakura's world... That must mean that this would be Ash's world and Ash was in Rin's world. Illpalazzo, how dare you don such cruel fates. "It just can't get any worse," he groaned. Really, Edward? There's always seasickness. "I mean, look at this!" Oh, that! Edward, like the others so far, had a wardrobe change. Instead of being in a trench coat, he was in a red button-down short sleeve t-shirt and jeans. What made this more eye-popping was that Edward's arm was pure skin with fingerless gloves, no auto-mail with a more awkward plastic feeling. That could post a problem.

("So, you lost your auto-mail,") Pikachu squeaked like it was no big deal. ("That doesn't mean that you lost your ability to do alchemy.") Perhaps he was right. Maybe Edward was overreacting to a simple detailing.

"You don't get it. I was able to do alchemy in a snap." He gave out a heavy sigh. "But what's the point? There's no action here." Hearing that, Pikachu had a suggestion in mind.

("Why don't you relax? You've been nothing but tense since we met.") Not a bad idea. Without warning...

"Attention, passengers on the St. Anne," Someone on the PA announced. "Please refrain from vomiting over the side of the cruise ship. In addition we are having the Pokémon contest at 11:30 in the mess hall. Those who are taking part must report by 10:30. We will have the doors open at 11 for seating." There was a contest?

"A what contests?" Edward repeated. "What the hell is that?" he in this temporary mouse companion strolled throughout the ship when their ears were tickled by calls.

"Ash!" a young woman called out. "Where are you?" It would sound like someone was looking for Ash. "Why did he have to sneak off from the cabin overnight?" This would further tell the tale of what had occurred to Ash before being sent to New York. It clicked into Edward's head.

'I get what happened. Apparently, Ash couldn't sleep and therefore came out from beneath the ship and rested at that guardrail. I was coming back from using the train's bathroom. My guess is that time had locked itself when we were taken from our realms. I could only wonder what Sakura and Rin were doing when they wound up with me and Ash.' While he was off in his deep thinking, Pikachu had scampered to the voice, being a light brunette girl wearing a red bandanna with a red skin-hugging t-shirt and black biker shorts. She was carrying a tray with some glasses and a pitcher of orange juice.

("May, good morning!") Pikachu called. May shot a glance at Pikachu, kneeling down to pet.

"Pikachu, have you seen Ash?" she wondered. Pikachu shook no, lying about the whole deal. He knew Ash was elsewhere. The question: where? "It's not like him to miss a contest that I was participating in. Did he jump ship?" No, but he may be bound to get schooled.

"I'm sure he's alright," Edward reassured as he made his approach. "He's probably off somewhere acting adventurous."

"Not really a surprise, I guess." That's when something clicked in May's head. "Hey, wait. I didn't see you board from the Vermillion Port. How did you get on board without me seeing you?" Edward darted his eyes away, trying to come up with the perfect way to explain his situation.

"It's pretty complicated." ...which he had no proper way to approach it. May had to feel suspicious about that slight of handed reply.

"Oh really?" Her face told Edward that he was screwed over. Not quite.

"May!" a boy yelled out. Edward, May and Pikachu twisted to see a young raven-haired boy with a taller tanned brunette. The boy was in a green polo t-shirt and brown shorts while the tanned one wore brown from shoulder to toe. The two were panting, probably looking for Ash as well.

"May, you spot Ash?" the tanned man questioned. Of course, May found nothing but Edward as Pikachu raced up the tanned one's shoulder.

"Sorry, Brock," she apologized to the tanned one. "I did want to make sure Ash was okay when I ran into this guy." Edward groaned, not getting appreciation from May. That's when the younger one had taken note of the tray of OJ.

"Then, explain the OJ that you brought up from the dining hall," he demanded. Edward took stock of the orange juice.

"You ask me, I think she wanted some time alone with Ash when I showed up," he hypothesized. "Though, it doesn't really explain why his Pikachu's here without him and me without my auto-mail." That's a mystery in addition. However, May, Brock and the other boy were curious about Edward's mention of the auto-mail.

"Auto-mail?" they repeated in unified question.

"Yes, auto-mail." The three looked at each other, wondering what Edward was talking about.

"I...don't think we get your saying," May shrugged. "Was there suppose to be something where your auto...mail should be, whatever the heck that is?" They still weren't getting it. Edward told them of what had taken place between saving his brother and when he met Ash...and Rin and Sakura. Now they got the message as Edward was drenching his drying throat with the OJ...and getting a taste of something more.

"What's with this orange juice? Not that it tastes odd, I feel a bit more energized." Orange juice an energy drink?

"Think of it as an experiment with mixing OJ with juice from some sitrus berries I collected from those sisters running that one flower and berry shop," Brock admitted with his cheeks brightening red. "I wish I was one of those roses or tulips being grown with their green fingers." He appeared to be having one of those fantasies. The boy had a solution to this: extraditing him.

"The way your life goes," he huffed as he dragged Brock by ear...lobe. "The only thing you may be doing is daises." When you think about it, it's not going to be a long life for Brock the way he's going. May looked up, seeing a hanging digital clock reading 9:50 AM.

"A little over an hour and a half before the St. Anne Contest," May psyched herself. Edward remembered the announcement before meeting them.

"You've still have what, 40 minutes to register?" he estimated. May scoffed, amused that Edward would take an interest to such an event.

"I registered as soon as I boarded." Over and done with. Nice.

"More time for more of this orange/sitrus juice. I'll take this any day over milk." Did Edward not like milk? That would explain his shortcomings.

"What's wrong with milk?"

"It tastes like vomit and I get ridiculed every time, even by my estranged father." May got what Edward seemed to be pointing out. That's when she remembered that he came from the past.

"You know, they changed the formulas and cleansed the milk for everyone to enjoy. Times have changed since then." She's right, but did that matter to the Fullmetal Alchemist?

"Are you implying that it doesn't have that vomiting taste like before?" May nodded, saying that the milk was better this time around. "Maybe I'll have a change of opinion about it." He wouldn't get a chance to try it. Sirens and "ALERT" signs popped up.

"Attention, passengers on the St. Anne," the PA announcer bellowed. "There are vicious creatures boarding the vessel on starboard! Take immediate shelter! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!" Vicious creatures? Those on deck took the warning to heart and scampered to the cabins. Brock and his little buddy were already inside. They didn't need the alert.

"Vicious creatures?" May repeated. Edward ran over to the right railing, spotting demons on the approach.

"I was wondering when I get some action," he grinned. "May, get back with Max and Brock." May understood, dashing back to the cabin doors. She wouldn't make it. A demon had jumped in front of her. She stepped back knowing she couldn't enter and escape. Edward didn't like the scene and ran over to save May. 'I may not have my auto-mail, but I'm gonna gamble that I still have my alchemy." He clapped his hands and slapped them to the ground. A cloud of static illuminated Edward when the sparks guided to the target, but behind it. From behind, a steel spike emerged, piercing the demon through its chest. Yeah...he's done. The demon fell in front of May, dead. "Oh, yeah! I may have a prosthetic arm and leg instead of auto-mail, but who the hell cares." He ran over to the railings, grabbing the iron bars after he clapped again. The railing became his favorite pike as he raised it over his head before resting it on his shoulder. "So, who thinks they can take on the great alchemist of all time?" Really, Edward? You want to brag that badly? May was in absolute awe, watching as more demons unavailingly try to intimidate Edward.

'So many hostile creatures and yet, he still acts so confident against the odds.' That's when she chose not to cower in fear and abide by Edward's warning. She chose to fight. "Ed, let me help you!" Edward was flabbergasted. He wasn't anticipating aide.

"I told you to get inside!" Edward wasn't watching as a demon was about to spring its element of surprise. May grabbed a red/white ball and chucked it forward.

"Combusken, Sky Uppercut!" The ball opened to reveal a yellowish half-chicken/half-man with long talons. It wasted very little time in demonstration as it landed a nasty glowing white uppercut punch to the demon, sending it into the smokestacks.

"AH!" it screamed in pain. "Fire! It burns!" He had to have come from the depths of Hell, he should be use to that. Whatever. Another demon appeared as it leaped over May, going for Combusken. Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt, striking the demon before combining that with Iron Tail, forcefully escorting that demon into the smokestack, too. Edward realized that the Pokémon could fight as well.

"Looks like I need all the help I can get," he surrendered his attempt to get May back in the cabin. The demons began to overload the St. Anne, but Edward, May and the Pokémon kept knocking or killing them off whether it was by Edward's pike or May's Combusken or even Pikachu. The other travelers saw the force of the trainer and alchemist, amused...and motivated to strike back at the demons.

"Hey, if those two can stand up against these horrible creatures," one other trainer pumped. "We should add to the stand. Who's with me?!" The trainers who heard him roared determination as they stormed from the cabins to join the fight. Releasing more and different sorts of Pokémon, the demons were losing ground faster than police in a growing riot. Edward and May were astounded that so many people and Pokémon would not take letting the St. Anne be hijacked lying down.

"Look at all the help we're getting!" May cheered. "Too bad Max couldn't add on." Edward was actually proud of all who stood up to the face of danger.

"Well, I'm actually feeling fine with the help here," he sighed with a smile. They got to the other end of the vessel just as the last demon was knocked overboard. That's all of them. They began to cheer in victory. That would be short lived. The boat began to rock, bracing all to hunker on the wooden floor. From below the water's surface, a large black submarine with robotic arms emerged. There was a red "R" in front. May, Edward, Pikachu and Combusken gritted in anger. Team Rocket.

"Just when we were safe." Laughter echoed through the sub. "Team Rocket had to come." The Pokémon and Edward geared for battle.

"Prepare for trouble, this maiden voyage ends here," a sassy female chirped.

"Make it double, the St. Anne will sink and shear," a rough rouge male croaked. Oh, boy, here it came.

"To infect the world with devastation."

"To blight all peoples in every nation." May balked in the motto. Was it something else she expected?

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love."

"To extend our wrath to the stars above." That's when two black uniformed adults emerged on an elevated platform. One was a blond female with twin ponytails which had stars formed at the tips. The other was a turquoise-haired male.

"Cassidy."

"Butch."

"Team Rocket circles the globe, day and night."

"Surrender to us now, since we know you can't win the fight." If that's Team Rocket, then who did Edward beat up in the NYC sewers? Edward and May had to clear the St. Anne of any unwanted passengers.

"You co-workers of some others I flushed out of sub-Manhattan?" Edward questioned. Not the right words, Edward.

"If you mean Jessie and James with their talkative Meowth, they're worthless to the Team Rocket organization," Cassidy huffed. "Since Team Rocket has aligned with ACROSS, big potentials of payment is practically guaranteed." Another satisfied ACROSS representative...

"And I doubt that you'll try to stop us," Butch confidently grinned. "You see, shorty, we have something you should take in offer." Edward began to steam from that insult.

"Shorty?!" he growled in heated anger. Butch unveiled a remote, hitting a button. Another female...no way! The bleached green hair...the sky blue kimono... The Child of Time had been with Team Rocket where Edward would find it. It's sad that Edward was clueless to knowing her. "The hell?"

("It's the Child of Time!") Pikachu identified. The search for her was over. All he needed to do was get her away.

"Looks like we hit the jackpot, little man." Edward stood forth, wanting to take the Child of Time away. "I can overlook the small reply and spare you a few split veins if you turn her over to us."

"Do you think we look stupid, kid?" Cassidy denied. So much for the immediate resolve.

"Yeah, even I saw that failing," Brock figured from behind. Cassidy chose to drill insults into Edward, pushing his buttons to force him to snap.

"So, now what, shrimp?" Edward started to show anger. Butch decided to join as May opted to step back.

"That was pretty small thinking, just asking us to hand Yukina over," he mocked. The Child of Time had a name, Yukina. That bit of teasing got Edward's blood boiling. The more veins popped up, the more May stepped back. They continued to rant Edward's lack of height. No way he would continue to hold back. Yet he clapped his hands and waived his left over his right arm. His arm...became an enormous drill. He was pissed. Cassidy and Butch? A tad nervous.

"Oh, boy," Brock realized. "That was a bad idea." Edward wound his drill arm back.

"Are you sure you wanna do that? What about the prize?" Edward was ready to pierce that submarine...until he tried a more wittier side.

"So, let me get this straight," he softened himself. "Sure, I lack the size that others would expect. Then again, I bet you even lack a size of your own, especially in bed, am I right?" Now Butch was steaming. Edward wasn't done. "But let me take that back. You look like you'd prefer someone with a more firm bust, not those fakies she has in the top portion." Cassidy was getting peeved. He made her believe that her breasts were silicon, not natural. Then again, he did get into Butch's nerves, claiming that his manhood was shorter than Edward. Man, talk about a low blow. Edward's prosthetic arm returned to normal, allowing Team Rocket to leap off their sub and leaving Yukina behind. _Really _bad idea. As soon as the two touched deck, Edward was using his alchemy once more. In a flash, Butch and Cassidy were caged, confined in six-by-six steel.

"That was cool," the boy awed.

"I'll second that, Max," Brock agreed. That's when May remembered Yukina. She turned to her Combusken.

"Combusken, go and get the girl from the sub," she commanded. Combusken leaped onto the sub, grabbed the Child of Time and hopped off.

"You know you have no authority in performing a citizen's arrest," Butch argued. "I'd like to see what kind of a trainer you are." Edward had to set Butch straight.

"Sorry, but I'm not a trainer," he sneered. "I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist. I work alongside authority." Ooh, good one, Ed. "But I did learn an ability or two. Hey Pikachu, you got anything stronger than what you displayed?" Pikachu jumped to the sky.

("I can show off some Thunder!") it shouted, releasing a massive blast of electricity, heavily shocking the pair. They collapsed and passed out. As May was working on untying Yukina, Brock and Max returned to the team as Ed scoped out the sub.

"So, Ed," Max called. "What are you gonna do with the sub?" Edward had a quick solution to that.

"Well, if I transmute it, what do you think it'll turn into?" he wondered. As Max pondered, Ed did the act. In a flash, the submarine clustered together...until the shine stopped. What was once a Team Rocket sub...it was now a laptop computer. Sweet deal!

"Awesome! A laptop computer! Thanks, Ed!" A cheerful Max showed Brock the black laptop that he could be bringing home. Yukina regained consciousness.

"What's going on?" she groaned. She looked around, eying Max and Brock, then Pikachu and May as she recalled Combusken back into her ball. Edward approached her, noting her revival, more or less. "Who...are you?" She didn't waste any time.

"Let's just say that you apparently summoned the bunch of us to New York," he clarified. "Are you the Child of Time?" Yukina seemed shocked. She was given a label and she seemed that it didn't fit her at all.

"I...I'm away from Hiei? From his...friends?" Hiei? Was that someone she knew? "No...he died, along with Yusuke, Kurama and...Kuwabara from that mad possessor." She began to cry, upset that there was a tragedy in front of her. So much that Yukina lived through. Everyone heard her, thinking about her emotional state. May came up, a plan on mind.

"I'm sorry about your losses," she comforted. "I'll have Brock escort you to get some rest, okay?" Yukina obliged as Brock helped her up and walked her inside. Some officers who were on board had arrested Cassidy and Butch and brought them to a more suitable area. Max had joined Brock and Yukina as May spotted Edward while carrying some more of the super OJ. "So you, Ash and a couple others were searching for her, huh?" Edward turned to May, knowing well that this was who he was chasing through the Big Apple.

"When I found myself with Ash, Sakura and Rin," he reviewed. "I realized that something or someone brought us together and was confirmed when we battled a clone who told us about the Child of Time, or Yukina." He huffed a sigh. "Of course, Ash is far calmer person than me, yet a bit reckless at times." May would side with Edward on that.

"His own mother was a bit of a risk-taker in her time." His mother? It made sense to Edward.

"Like mother, like son. It's rather humorous." May nodded to it...before her face brightened red. Oh boy.

"I'm sorry about how Team Rocket was teasing you, about your height problems." Edward didn't show heat. That was interesting.

"I hear that everywhere. It's still a bit hard for me to take lightly." Apparently...

"But...you're not short. You're far taller than that." Edward became shunned. This...was this admiration?

"May..." May said nothing more when she leaned up and...whoa! Lips contact! May gave and kept her lips on Edward... Tell you what, the chapter on the St. Anne was completed. Although Yukina was found, in an academy on another realm, high school aged teens in school uniforms roamed the hallways. Within the crowd, Yuna, possibly the real deal, was walking with a brunette male going to another class. Could that be Kazuki, named back in the second chapter? The brunette looked behind him, thinking he heard something. Yuna noticed.

"Kazuki, what's wrong?" she wondered. Kazuki shook his head and turned back.

"Thought I heard something odd," he answered. They proceeded on as Elizabeth, thankful to be back in her realm, watched the two pass on. She phased back into the nurse's office, Ash getting his physicals looked at by a raven-haired adult in a lab coat.

"Well, you seem to be in exceptional condition," he told Ash. "Do you know what to do when these demons show up?" Ash re-buttoned his white uniform shirt, no baseball cap on.

"Dr. Akai, you'd be more worried about the demons as soon as I go to town," he cocked. The moment for Ash to take action at hand was near. The Child of Time was safe, but let's see how Ash fared against demons in this school of hard knocks...

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	8. Aoi, We have a Problem

_Chapter 8: Aoi, We have a Problem

* * *

_

The campus was the location for Ash as the last leg of the four-part split. Rin was in Sakura's ninja world, Sakura was in Edward's alchemy world, Edward was in Ash's Pokémon world, it's all full-circle. Classes were in session, yet Ash chose to hang around the nurse's office. He knew that demons would come to terrorize the school. Heck, they attacked the locomotive to Central (Edward's world), the Hidden Leaf Village (Sakura's world), and even the St. Anne (Ash's world). Meanwhile, Yuna was filing through her locker, looking for possibly a few textbooks. "Where is it?" she panicked. "Where is it?" Where was what?

"How could you lose your English textbook in your locker?" Kazuki twitched. That's when his thought process focused on something...or someone else. "Now that I mentioned it, whatever happened to Rin? She wanted to chat with Dr. Akai about something." Yuna glared to Kazuki, thinking that he was looking to Rin for something that she didn't take too comfortably.

"I'd rather be worried for you than Rin." Well, that was interesting to say. Suddenly, she heard heavy breathing. Yuna thought it was Kazuki breathing over her shoulder. "Kazuki, I doubt you can do creepy stalking material." Not listening, the breathing continued to where Kazuki shot a look at Yuna...where trouble continued to lean over her shoulder.

"Yuna, get over here, now!" Yuna heard Kazuki, turning to him as he pointed to behind her. She looked, not a real bright move on her part. Demons! She let out a loud scream, echoing to the nurse's office. Ash and Elizabeth heard the scream, trouble already here.

"Yuna!" the spirit gulped as she phased through the wall to meet up with them. The weapons ready, Ash geared his tonfa sticks to meet Kazuki and the real Yuna Miyama, not the clone he met back in New York. Elizabeth got to the two, unable to settle and get to their feet in fear. "Yuna, Kazuki!" The two named shot a look at the ghost girl.

"Elizabeth?" Yuna balked.

"The nurse's office! Hurry!" Yuna and Kazuki wanted to say something, but they had to scatter away from those demons first. As the demons gave chase, teachers and staff got e-mails on their computer that the school was going into a lock-down. The principal of the school had to have been quick to get those e-mails out. Kazuki and Yuna were getting closer to the door, feet from protection...feet from Ash. Then, disaster. Yuna snagged her feet together, tripping herself. She hit the ground hard, causing Kazuki to huddle over her.

"Yuna!" he cried out. The demons were ready to strike and the two were defenseless. The two curled up, knowing that they were about to die...when thwacks hiccuped into the air. The two looked, thankful to still be alive...and joined by their savior, Ash. They saw the trainer in the blue pants and...black button-down t-shirt? Totally different from what Kazuki was donning around the chest area. Kazuki and Yuna got to their feet...or try to. A sharp pain rushed through Yuna's leg, forcing her to kneel and grasp her ankle. "Yuna, you okay?" Far from it.

"My ankle," she whimpered. "I think I twisted it pretty good." The demons were getting up from that knockdown. Ash sneered, satisfied that he was ready to continue teaching these guys a lesson.

"Now why is it that I like to teach you guys lessons with violence?" he snickered. They're demons, Ash, they're not meant to be taught by humans.

"Hey, we'll admit that we're pretty thickheaded," one demon confessed. Wow, didn't count on them to reply like that. "We're demons and our teachers told us that humans are inferior to us." Was there a real need to answer that question now that you guys confessed?

"You do realize that he just asked a rhetorical question, right?" Kazuki pointed out. The demon- It's rather far from usual when kids and ugly fiends have a friendly chat. It was even scratching the back of it's neck, almost like it was no big thing to worry about.

"Habit of mine." Okay... "But enough talk." Now the battle began. The demons charged at Ash protecting Kazuki and Yuna. The superb boxing skills had Ash shuffling around and beaning each minion left and right. BAM! Super left hook to the temple. POW! Right uppercut under the chin. BIFF! Swinging backhand to the eyes. These demons had no chance and thuds echoed from their falls. Ash was good.

"And to think I once wielded a jet-ski," he mocked the defeated. Never would these demons let this defeat down. Ash turned to the injured Yuna, confident that she was more peaceful than the one on the construction site. "You gonna be okay, Yuna?" She nodded, but thoughtfully remembered her twisted ankle.

"I'll take her in the nurse's office," he allowed. "By the way, how did you know Yuna? This is the first time we even met." Ash could explain the opportunity, but with the roar of demons entering the scene, there's no time.

"Long story. Get inside. I've got business to attend." Kazuki nodded as he acted as Yuna's backup foot, helping her into the nurse's office. "Well, they're safe..." He shot an eye back on the hallway, demons barreling onto him. He was stoked. "Hey, demons. Welcome to the school of hard knocks. Class is in session." That's someone who had to stare Death in the face several times. His unreal boxing and tonfa skills were proving to be no contest against the demons. Each demon was kissed with metal before tiled floors. Still, Ash neglected to raise his feet, not that it affected the leverage at this point. Ten demons ate defeat and it appeared to be over but it's too soon in the chapter. Screams bellowed from classrooms, demons breaking into there to cause massive chaos. Ash sprinted to the screams and spotted a demon breaking through a door to a classroom. He wanted to help, but someone inside that room would be the pain-giver. A sneaker zipped out of nowhere, nailing the demon in the throat. That kick propelled the demon into an adjacent wall, one more KO tallied. What came out was a tall, long raven-haired, teen female wearing skin-tight black shorts under her skirt. Ash got aid. 'Nice kick. Those legs have to be muscled greatly from that.' For sure. That's when the girl scoped Ash...and braced her defense.

"Who are you?" she questioned. "And why do you carry tonfa sticks?" She appeared hostile. Ash dropped his sticks and knuckled fists up to chest level, expecting a small, quick fight.

"Came to help on the demon extermination." The new girl saw the stance, knowing that Ash was a boxer.

"I see. You had taken boxing. Let's see if you can make contact and if you need to know, it's Morisaki. Sayumi Morisaki."

"Ketchum, here. Ash Ketchum." Both charged in as they swung, Ash with his fist and Morisaki with her leg. Both missed each other by a mile...against each other but connected with demons stupid enough to try and stop them. Despite clocking demons and missing each other... "Not a bad kick." Morisaki's kick nailed one demon in the eyes.

"Pretty good cross." Ash's punch smashed in a demon's nose. Both demons collapsed, two more knockouts marked. More demons came by as Ash picked his sticks back up before he and Morisaki stood back-to-back. The demons raced in, challenging Ash and Morisaki. Morisaki was fierce. If her kicks meant brutality, her punches were just nasty, most of the time setting up the KO kick. Ash bashed his sticks while dancing passed the sloppy fighting of the demons. Remembering the kick that Morisaki heaved, Ash tried it with a bit of faking out. He wound his body for a Superman punch, making the demon cross his arms toward its head and a leg in front of the other. Bad position. The demon wasn't getting an overhead hook, but a roundhouse kick...to the jewels! Ouch! The unintentional low blow caused the demon to crumble in severe pain. It keeled over in shock from the sudden blast of pain holding its crotch.

"Sorry about that. First time." First time? That's some first kick.

"Oh, sure," the demon whined in a high-pitched tone. "Blame that groin damage on inexperience." The demon looked up, eying Ash in a three-point stance. Hut 1! Hut 2!

"At least I mean it this time." Hike! Like a place-kicker, Ash unloaded a field goal kick on the demon's head. The head lifted and carried its body into other demons, bowling them over. Sweet shot. There was a clear path for Ash and Morisaki wanted to send him on his way.

"Ketchum, I'll take care of things down here!" she advised. "See what you can do about the other floors!" Ash nodded before spotting the staircase and running up. He was met up with more demons set up like a gauntlet. Right then, from a door across the stairs, a short-hair redhead female stepped out.

"Would you guys shut the hell up?!" she bellowed at the demons. Really? That yelling will get their attention. Nice thought though. They kept on hissing toward the new girl. So much for the verbal warning. Heck, they came charging at the two. "Unbelievable!" She focused her outstretched hand, a ball of light energy...a pretty big ball of energy. She fired, colliding with a few demons...KABOOM! The minions fell from the blast. Ash awed the power of that blast ball she managed to ignite.

"Note to self, do not anger those in this school," Ash reminded himself. The redhead twisted to Ash, a little puzzled with his saying before going to and picking up the snout.

"So, who's controlling you?" The revitalized demon became horrified of the redhead.

"It was a raven-haired, much like that kid, only older," one demon squealed like a pig. The redhead poked again at Ash, noticing the raven black hair.

'Crap, he does have black hair...and a touch more cute than...' Her mind adjusted to the point of knowing who was responsible. She seethed an anger from inside and maliciously decked the snitch. Ash chose to go on ahead and let this girl ease up. He wasn't going without a word from the redhead. "Hold it!" Ash stopped his feet, pretty much spelling his doom. He turned to the redhead, only a foot away. "I can see that you're not from the Academy and from the tonfa sticks, you're battling these fiends and helping Aoi, huh?" Ash nervously nodded, hoping not to get the same beating. "Any chance you're related to Nakamaru?" Nakamaru? What's this now?

"Way far from it," he scoffed. "Ash Ketchum. I already helped Yuna, Kazuki and Sayumi." The redhead figured on the names saved, realizing that Ash was too goodhearted to do all of what's going on.

"Far indeed, Ash. Well, if you come across Nakamaru, let him know he's expelled, courtesy of Matsuda." Someone ain't going to this school again.

"I will." With that, the redhead, Matsuda trotted back to the classroom. "A little hotheaded perhaps, but at least she's reasonable. I guess it depends on who you address." Elizabeth, who vanished for some time, came back in panic.

"Ash!" she called out. Ash spun to the ghost, noting the fear. It had to be up ahead and Ash dashed ahead. Elizabeth awed, almost like Ash predicted what she was about to report. Up the hallway, a pair of giant grunts held down a blond female, big bosom and sporting a garter over her uniform with black nylon stockings. Was she a student or a hooker? Regardless, it appeared these two had the gall to want to rape her.

"My, my, what a perfect rack you hang onto," one demon took stock, grabbing and squeezing her breast. The blond seemed in fear of everything, even rape. Ash found the three, knowing the blond was in trouble.

"Let's see what she's got under this curtain," the other sneered as he reached for her skirt. "I bet you that she's a virgin." Hate to see someone lose that via rape. PONG! Inches from the linen of her skirt, and of all the items within the academy, the grunt got clocked in the head...by a fire extinguisher. Those extinguishers are hard enough to wield as blunt weapons. That demon went down flat.

"What the-" That other grunt turned to the direction of where the extinguisher flew from...and got an eye-full of metal stick with a vicious hook from Ash.

"You just had to look, didn't you?" he teased as that demon also fell, freeing the blond from harm as Elizabeth entered the scene, happy to find the blond okay. Now was that for seeing Ash at the last second or looking under the blond's skirt.

"Kuriko!" she cried to the blond. Ash helped Kuriko onto her two-inch high heels.

"My hero..." she flirted. Oh, boy. Kuriko snared Ash in a hug, burying him within her bosoms. "You may be a young gun, but I wouldn't mind shooting a few bullets in me." Where's Max? Kuriko lowered her head as Ash looked to her, feeling a kiss coming on. Edward never had this uneasy feeling going through him when May leaned in to kiss him. That's when roars of more minions disrupted the romantic stint. Ash, Elizabeth and Kuriko turned to see the demons ready to attack. So much for a supposedly-earned kiss. "Man, can't these fiends be patient and let me finish before showing up?" Apparently, no. Ash and Kuriko braced themselves as Elizabeth phased inside Kuriko. Ash was rearmed with his sticks as Kuriko whipped out slips of paper. Knowing that Rin was in this school and there were people who could use magic, those slips had to be something of unique use.

"You ready?" Ash asked. Kuriko bobbed a nod before racing in. As if these minions were nothing, Ash and Kuriko kept their rallying KO's going. Some of Kuriko's slips turned into spirits of Chinese warriors, mowing down the fiends as fast as Ash and his endless energy and KO-power. She even displayed some martial arts with some shoulder throws and a few elbows to the faces. Each floor, a scatter of demons lay down in defeat while Ash and Kuriko arrived at the rooftop steps. "What defense class did you take?" Yeah, Ash was fascinated.

"Judo, why?" He was intrigued. Ash opened the door, leading them outside. There, a taller raven-haired man stood, cold stares shivering the two. "Nakamaru!" So that was Nakamaru. He would be the first to bring a word...sorta.

"Before we start, is Yuna safe?" he questioned. Why would he be asking about the pink-haired female?

"She's in the nurse's office with Kazuki," he answered. "She's safe." Nakamaru sighed a bit of relief.

"Okay. Well why is Kazetsubaki with you, intruder?" Kuriko was the one to answer that question.

"Your demons almost raped me when Ashy-man came around and saved me," she explained. "I was gonna give him a little something when more of those demons interrupted us." Nakamaru huffed, annoyed that they thought those demons were under his control.

"Those demons were offered to me by ACROSS, in a sense that I have them wipe everyone but Yuna." Kuriko and Ash seethed in anger. All those demons for Yuna. Shame...

"And the Child of Time?" Ash brought up.

"Nothing I would know about." Don't worry, Ash. She's been found. "Now to unleash my beast." They all turned to...a blue puppy with horns? Really? The anger was replaced with futile holding laughter at such an innocent little puppy.

"What's this? You trying to kill us with cuteness?" This was a disgrace on his part. That's when the puppy began to morph in a veil of black. Ash and Kuriko stopped laughing. This was serious. When it stopped, it was no more a little puppy. It was a large dog with a green eye above the red ones. The body was bigger, the horns were bigger and the fangs...enough said. "This puppy grew up pretty fast." No kidding. The beast charged in, ready to kill but Ash and Kuriko dove clear of the strike. The beast glared down Ash. It lunged and tried to bite but the sticks proved useful, holding its jaw wide.

"Ash!" Kuriko yelled. She readied her slips, flicking them at Nakamaru. "Ginji Childran!" The slips became the spirits of warriors once more. Nakamaru stood his ground where a black circle, almost identical to Alphonse's alchemy circle, surrounded him and the spirits deflected off, not coming close to him. Kuriko was stunned. Ash pushed off, separating him from the beast. It tried to bite once more, but Ash jumped high, dodging the jaws of death...before smashing his sticks onto the snout. That's when the beast flung its head with Ash still on it. Ash went flying higher, farther than where he should have been.

'Not good.' Not good indeed. Kuriko fear something would harm, if not kill Ash and began her flight. Yes folks, she could fly and Peter Pan was not responsible.

"Ash!" Ash was now falling. This can't end well.

'I hope I hit something soft." At high speed, even the softest items would feel like hitting a brick wall. He entered a forest about a half-mile away...SPLASH! Water? Ripples from a wide pond showed where Ash hit water. If he hit the water back first, that's going to be one huge bruise. Underwater, Ash opened his eyes, knowing that he was alive. 'Well, that could've been worse.' That's when he saw something gold. Curiosity befell him as he swam down and picked it up to observe it. It was a pocket watch. He opened the lid, looking at a clock with...no numbers? More interesting, the clock was working...underwater! That's unreal. He swam up and pulled himself from the water to get a better look. Free from the pond, Ash laid on his back, grasping his stomach and chest. He...belly-flopped? Ouch! "I need a moment..." Apparently. He would want to understand the pocket watch and find out how it still worked underwater. It was an antique. It was at that moment where Kuriko found Ash first.

"Ashy-boy, you good?" He appeared to feel better after that rest, considering that Kuriko was sitting on Ash's lap.

"A little better." Kuriko smiled, cupping his cheek and admiring the cute look on Ash's smile.

"You are such a daredevil, you know that? You may be younger, but far braver." Okay, cute _and_ brave. Then, there was rustling in the bushes. The two looked to find the beast, Nakamaru on top. They got to their feet, another moment of a missed kiss to Ash. Now what?

"This is real unusual of you Kazetsubaki," Nakamaru goaded. "Is Shikimori nothing more to you now that his magical bloodline has been distilled? You, Yuna and Rin were close to Shikimori when he had the 50-some magicians in his lineage. Don't you still want that power?" That could explain everything to Ash.

'So that's why Rin's family wanted Kazuki,' he minded. 'It was his power. To have around 50 magicians in one family tree, it would mean that the Kamishiro clan had weakened overtime.' The beast foamed in the mouth, snarling for a kill. 'Please let there be a way to get back to my Pokémon.' As if the pocket watch had listened, provided ears, the watch's hands began to spin fast...counterclockwise! A light flashed behind Ash and Kuriko. Everyone looked. An escape hatch? The beast wasted no time and lunged for Ash and Kuriko who dove back into the hole, followed by Nakamaru and the beast. Where would this light take Ash, Kuriko, Nakamaru and that beast? Wait...why were we back on the St. Anne?

"But...you're not short," May admired Edward, both still... "You're far taller than that." Didn't we play this clip before?

"May..." Edward awed before May lunged up and kissed him. Still an awing moment...until a light flashed, forcing Edward and May to break apart. Ash and Kuriko fell through the light with Nakamaru not far behind on his beast. Ash was back in his own attire and Nakamaru was still in uniform. Kuriko?Well, her outfit was drastically altered. She wore a white midriff and blue pants while still wearing those stiletto high heels. Ash noticed that he was on the St. Anne, back in his world.

"Looks like I'm back on the St. Anne," he said. "Sucks that Nakamaru had to come along." The beast wasn't intimidated by the fact that water was over the sides of the cruise. May and Edward were debating whether to help Ash and Kuriko or not, but Pikachu came out to aid his partner. He carried a belt with red/white balls over to Ash.

("You're back!") Pikachu squeaked, getting Ash's and Kuriko's attention. ("Here!") Ash snagged the belt and fastened it.

"Thanks, Pikachu!" Pikachu stood in between his partner and _his_ partner, all while Brock, Max, Yukina, Edward and May watched on.

"This is a nice change in setting, Ashy-man," Kuriko continued to tease. "Can you tame this beast?" Hearing Ash snicker meant Ash had something up his sleeve.

"Let's make it a team effort." He had a ball enlarged in his hand. This should be good. The beast began to charge. Ash threw his ball. "Grovyle, Leaf Blade!" The ball opened, releasing a green gecko-like creature with a vine makeshift as hair. The command. Grovyle turned the leaves on its wrist into glowing green blade, slashing the beast heavily across the snout, stopping it and knocking off Nakamaru. Grovyle leaped back, joining Ash and Kuriko. Waiting no longer, Edward and May got to Ash's side.

"Ash!" Edward called. Ash and Kuriko jerked to see the other couple aligning with them.

"You two look like you need extra company," May offered. Ash wouldn't mind it. The beast and Nakamaru were separated. Ash took stock of the split.

"Alright, Ed, Kuriko," he started the play. "Go after Nakamaru. May and I will tackle this big boy." Plan set. May released Combusken back on the deck. It was a handful versus the beast. Edward and Kuriko faced Nakamaru.

"You may have more allies," Nakamaru scowled. "It won't be enough!" He was gathering energy in his cupped hands. Edward clapped his hands, expecting Nakamaru to fire that off at them. Kuriko could still shoot out the slips of paper despite the change in wardrobe. The beast charged in after Combusken and Grovyle.

"Grovyle, Bullet Seed!" Grovyle became a Pokémon-style mini-gun, spitting out multiple volleys of seeds. May was willing to combine.

"Fire Spin, Combusken!" May commanded. Combusken breathed out a stream of fire, swirling toward the beast. The seeds and fire crossed and mixed in the middle, making the seeds burning hot. BAM! The beast got pelted and scorched while pushed back. Nakamaru fired a beam of light at Edward and Kuriko when Edward slapped the ground. Transmutation time! A wall sprung up in time to deflect the light. It destroyed the wall but kept Edward and Kuriko safe. A rock from the wall fell into Kuriko's hand while holding another slip before flinging it back. What an arm on Kuriko! The rock morphed into a glowing punching glove and nailed Nakamaru in the face. The "punch" propelled Nakamaru right into the railing with a hard bang. That dent in the rail and the dizzy look in his eyes was a tale of his defeat.

"Damn, girl, you know how to throw one," Edward sneered while scratching his head. With Nakamaru out, all that was left was the beast. It raced back in and so did Grovyle, Combusken and Pikachu.

"Okay, Combusken, let's raise this roof! Sky Uppercut!" Combusken's arm began to glow when he drove its arm up, catching the beast in the chin and sending it skyward.

"Grovyle, Leaf Blade!" Ash called. Grovyle smashed another Leaf Blade over the body, sending the beast crashing on the deck. Pikachu was fliped from the vine on Grovyle's head, barreling straight down. "Okay Pikachu, let's end it! Iron Tail!" The tail was lit! CRASH! The Iron Tail strike nailed the jewel on the forehead, breaking that off. The Pokémon return to the trainers' side as the beast was dissolving. The vanishing of the beast marked the end of that battle. Sighs of relief and fives of congrats waived as Nakamaru was escorted to be with Cassidy and Butch in the St. Anne jail. Brock and Max joined the foursome with Pikachu for post-battle synopsis. That's when Kuriko made her move. She snagged Ash's hat from behind, causing Ash to turn to her...and her to finally lay the smooch on him...right in front of Brock.

"NO!" Brock yelled as he fell to his knees in defeat. Max watched, snickering at the subtle frustration of the big guy.

"Wow, Ash, I didn't know you had affections for older women," May teased. Ash and Kuriko giggled when Edward got curious. How did Ash and Kuriko get here?

"Ash," he called. "While I do appreciate the help, how the hell did you get here in the first place?" That's right. Ash dug into his pockets and pulled out the watch.

"It was during the first part back at the Aoi Academy when fighting from Nakamaru's pet," he pointed out. "I was tossed into a deep pond when I found this." Edward and May couldn't understand how a pocket watch brought Ash and Kuriko to the St. Anne. Someone did, however and she was making her appearance.

"It's the demonic watch the demons were after," Yukina gasped. The four turned, Ash meeting the suspected Child of Time for the first time.

"It's you." Yukina requested the watch which Ash gave it to her.

"You mean to tell us that the watch is responsible?" Edward pondered.

"Yes," she replied as she fondled the watch. "This is the demonic time warp watch. I had to steal the watch from the sacred vault in the spirit world when the demons made a surprise invasion." A surprise invasion? The mystery had thickened.

"Yukina, let's gather everyone in a single spot and that way, you can explain it to the others." Sounded like a good idea. Ash, May, Kuriko and Pikachu nodded to the plan.

"That way, we can plan a way to regain control over everything," Kuriko backed up. Unanimous.

"Very well," she surrendered. She worked on the watch where a flash lit up. Would Rin, Sakura and their allies wind up on the St. Anne? Would the group go elsewhere for a group meeting like Central or Tsunade's office or even back in New York? Make your choice.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	9. Harder by Almost the Dozen

_Chapter 9:Harder by Almost the Dozen

* * *

_

_(Roy Mustang's office, State Building, Central, Edward's World)_

A flash illuminated an office inside a large business building. Sakura, Alphonse and Roy gazed at the sudden light that flashed in the room, wondering what the deal was. Roy was now in a blue military uniform, but let's see how long he'll have that. It had been a while since seeing Sakura when she, Alphonse and Roy devastated Bald on the train ride to Central. Now this. _**"What do you suppose that is?" **_Alphonse wondered. It could be that the Child of Time had been rescued.

"This would need a close investigation," Roy suggested as he stepped away from his desk and toward the light. "Shall we proceed?" Sakura didn't feel like objecting to it, hence she came up with a solution of her own.

"I think one of my other colleagues found who we were looking for," she pondered. Little did she know how right she was. Yet, the three leaped into the fire or light.

* * *

_(Hokage Tsunade's office, Hidden Leaf Village, Sakura's World)_

A flash illuminated another office where Naruto and Rin were gripped to the attention. A taller, more bustier blond in a green robe saw the flash the instant she tucked Hinata down. What could be going on? Rin set her hand over the hilt of her sword, expecting trouble. Suddenly, a chorus of shouts, followed by a collapse of a handful of people in a pile falling from the light. Alphonse found himself on the bottom. Odd enough that he hadn't changed. Ash found himself under...guess who? Both Sakura and Kuriko. Edward had May on top of him and his dear brother underneath. Roy found himself on top with Pikachu hanging above. What about Yukina? She managed to stay from the pileup. Rin and Naruto got to help straighten up the pile, removing those who got bunched up. "Is everyone okay?" Yukina wondered, her kimono untouched. Everyone else? Some interesting changes including Sakura back to what she wore back in New York. Roy was wearing a blue jumpsuit and travel vest, still wearing that marked glove. Ash was in a lightly tattered blue long-sleeve and light blue pants while also sporting a red/black headband. May was wearing what Sakura had on, except for a red headband without a plate. Edward was in a black suit, the common nighttime ninja. His prosthetic limbs had reverted back to auto-mail. Kuriko found herself in a lavender colored sleeveless shirt with what may have been shorts and fishnet nylons around her arms and legs. She still had those stilettos, sadly.

"I've landed better," Ash groaned. Perhaps, but let's not debate it. Naruto and the other blond were puzzled with all who just showed up. Everyone who did, other than Sakura, were confused about the new setting. It was then that Sakura spotted the blond.

"Lady Tsunade, please forgive our intrusions," she pleaded. This was Tsunade? This was who Naruto referred to as Grandma Tsunade?

"Sakura, calm down," Tsunade tried to ease. With everyone on their feet, they began introductions, including Rin and Sakura meeting Yukina for the first time. This was the Child of Time.

"So, you must be the Child that ACROSS had been venturing for," Rin figured. Yukina frowned, unappreciative of the name.

"Why must you insist that my title is this 'Child of Time'?" she moaned. May came forward to allow the explanation of what was the real reason.

"Yukina, you can show them the pocket watch," she advised. Yukina nodded and brought out the watch Ash found in Rin's world.

"I was founded by Cassidy and Butch in Ash's and May's world, but Ash recovered my watch from somewhere else." Now Sakura and Rin seemed clued in. Edward and May rescued her and Ash found the real magic with the watch. "Of course, I wish there was an explanation about Ash and Kuriko being together." She pointed to joined hands as Ash and Kuriko were having a friendly chat with Roy and Naruto. Out of some spite, Sakura began to act jealous. Was it Naruto? Roy?

"Why that hussy?" she scowled as she stomped toward the foursome. Oh boy... When she reached, Sakura yanked Ash so hard, it snapped the grip between him and Kuriko, and causing Kuriko to scorn a look back at Sakura. It also tore some of Ash's sleeve.

"What was that for?!" Kuriko snapped, ripping Ash back to her. Sakura held tightly on Ash's arm while Pikachu looked over Hinata, wondering how this would end. "Can't I have Ash for myself?" Sakura wasn't backing off, tugging Ash back to her and ripping the other sleeve.

"Really, because you haven't been with him longer than I have!" Kuriko was ready for the challenge, pulling Ash back to her.

"You weren't in a situation where demons were about to rape you, were you?"

"No, but you deserve to be raped with those hooters of yours, skank!"

"Short fuse!"

"Hooker!" Someone mediate before Ash gets torn...literally. In a flash, Tsunade karate chopped both girls in the back of the heads, knocking them out and allowing them to rest their hotheads. Ash rubbed his shoulders, making sure they were intact. Rin and May came to Ash's side, wondering if what Kuriko and Sakura said were facts.

"You saved Kuriko from demons willing to put themselves inside her?" Rin summarized.

"Yeah, Elizabeth got me to go in that path and boom, there she was," Ash clarified. "Had to do something about that before the force. We also battled Nakamaru since he acquired those demons to eliminate every man to get to Yuna. I was just lucky to get her and Kazuki with Dr. Akai when I did." A selfish ploy exposed by Ash and Kuriko. Rin smirked, confident that she studied Ash correctly.

"So, I was right. Intelligent, athletic, respectful. The three qualities I had anticipated out of you, Ketchum." Ash became embarrassed with charm. He did leave an impression wherever he went. He just needs to do it in Tsunade's office. Alphonse was fascinated with Ash's mad skills. He turned to May and wondered if _she _had feelings for Ash

"_**What about you, May?"**_ he voiced. **_"You've been traveling with Ash, so obviously you have feelings." _**May seemed to understand what Alphonse had mentioned, yet she peered at Ash indifferently compared to Edward.

"Ash is a nice guy and had tutored me in a few spots with Max and Brock," she admitted. "But I just have a...bigger feeling for Ed, regardless." Guess there was no convincing May to stick with Ash. As Alphonse and May chatted, Ash was checking the conditions of the knocked out girls, dumbfounded by the concept of both Sakura and Kuriko liking him.

'Sakura likes me because I somehow look like Sauske,' he minded. 'Kuriko had admired me for saving her from demons. I'm not sure if I should stick with one or the other...' Slow down Ash! 'What am I thinking? I'm not Brock! I'm not suppose to be a heartthrob! We need to worry about how to face Illpalazzo and get the truth about that demonic watch.' His mind seemed back on track before realizing about Yukina and how she wound up with ACROSS in the first place. He shot a look back at Yukina, catching Naruto and Roy's attention.

"Yo, Ash," Naruto spoke. "Something eating you?" Something was indeed. He didn't feel like holding back on information.

"I'm still wondering how Ed, Rin, Sakura, Pikachu and I wound up in the construction site in New York. Yukina did something to rip the five of us from our posts and I'm pretty sure it has to do with more than her watch." Naruto shot a look at Yukina who was looking over Hinata as she started to come around. He did appear rather puzzled but Roy was a bit fascinated with Ash's observation of the conundrum.

"What do you know," he sneered. "A detective in the making." You would think so. Pikachu had hopped up and met Hinata. She smiled along with Yukina while petting the Pokémon. Ash came up to the three in a point to get Yukina on her tale of how she snagged the watch from this spirit world.

"How are you feeling, Yukina?" The three turned to Ash, interested with why he came up to them as they were having a nice conversation.

"I've gradually relaxed ever since I met with Max," Yukina murmured. Hinata and Pikachu got a glance at the still down admirers of Ash, wondering if they were okay. They might need some more time to arouse.

"Is Sakura and the other girl alright?" Hinata asked. Moans exasperated from both, a sense of them coming around. They plopped their buttocks on the upholstery, rubbing their necks in pain from that double-shot. When they rose to their feet, they saw each other...and were back at the snarls. Nothing was solved. Tsunade stepped up once more, pinching the shoulders and nerves. Ever think Tsunade wanted peace?

"This is no place to show aggression to each other," she scorned. "Perhaps you two are forgetting about the bigger issue at hand since you've been gawking over someone about a quarter of my age." Ash, Edward, May, Pikachu and Kuriko were surprised. Tsunade was about four times as old as Ash? That would explain what Naruto noted when he labeled her "Grandma Tsunade."

"You mean to tell us that Tsunade is..._that_ old?" Edward gasped.

"_**But she doesn't look anywhere close!"**_ Alphonse stuttered. The brothers were astonished

"I'd like to know where she gets her age-defying products," May pondered. Beauty before age seemed to be her top priority. Tsunade released her pinching, much to Kuriko and Sakura's relief.

"Now, shake hands," she ordered the whippersnappers. "You will work with each other on this crisis." Nice way to point out the priority. Kuriko and Sakura continued the staring contest, trying to vie for Ash's hand in romance. Finally, linking hands, both shook. They continued to gazed down each other, but at least they were calling a truce to avoid conflict among the team. Tsunade bobbed, feeling better about avoiding bloodshed. Ash sighed in a bit of relief as he turned back to Yukina.

"I think with everyone alert, it's about time we got the back story of how you ended up with the demonic watch and how it relates to ACROSS," Ash suggested. Yukina felt a bit pressured. She knew these people had gone through a lot to find her since the meeting in New York. She surrendered, knowing that it was better to confess what truthfully occurred. Everyone found a place. Roy and Alphonse stood next to Tsunade back at her desk. Ed sat by Sakura, Hinata who was still holding Pikachu and Kuriko on one couch to monitor the behaviors while Ash sat with May, Naruto and Yukina.

"Well right away, I should tell you that I'm an ice maiden," she opened. Gulps echoed throughout the room, wondering why she admitted to that bit of information. "My brother, Hiei, works with the Spirit Detective agency hired by Koenma and Botan in the spirit realm. His partners are Kurama, Yuskue Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara. Like the original four of you, Ash, Rin, Sakura and Edward, the detectives were teenagers. Well one day, I was minding my own business, going to the spirit world to see Botan because she had a day off. As I entered that realm, I saw an army of demons charging to the tower. In that same instant, Hiei and his friends had exited from the human world to protect the spirit world while I scurried into King Enma's office where it was empty, no sign of Koenma, Botan or Ogre. I also noticed that the sacred vault was ajar. I entered the vault and hid when a shake jarred the watch into my hands. That's when I was face-to-face with Jonau, a wanted demon sought out by the spirit detective agency for heinous crimes. I was in fear. Yusuke saw that I was in trouble and tried to square off with Jonau. Jonau fought and fired spikes, some hitting Yusuke in the chest. I feared he was dead. In that instant, I wished that I was away from there. Jonau, believing that he finished off Yusuke, came after me when I fell through the hole caused by the watch. I fell into a throne room with that tall white-haired man, the orange/redhead nutcase and a violet-haired paled girl." There was no violet-hair. Instantly, Edward figured that the three Yukina motioned had to be ACROSS.

"Lord Illpalazzo and Excel," he motioned. Of course, but that doesn't mention the violet-hair.

"There's one more that was mentioned," Sakura spoke. "You think she was inside Illpalazzo's chamber when he came to us?" Rin and Ash had that gut feeling. Sakura gazed back to Yukina, wondering about her encounter with Illpalazzo. "How bad did Illpalazzo treat you?"

"Well actually, Illpalazzo knew that there was a problem with Jonau when I stumbled toward him," she recalled. "He engaged in a fight with Jonau and told Excel to escort me out of here while Hyatt laid out with blood trickling from her mouth, pretty much dead." Hyatt was the violet-haired? "I stumbled approaching the sewer stream when I grabbed a lowered rope where I fell in. I had wished for someone to come and save me. I wasn't expecting alchemists, ninjas, trainers or even magicians." Wait...Illpalazzo was actually a good guy? In that instant, Ash, Edward, Sakura and Rin knew why they had been summoned: to be recruited to save the spirit realm from Jonau. That's when Kuriko had an ominous question.

"I understand now how you got the original four together," she voiced. "But you wound up on board the St. Anne and Ash and I found the watch in the forest near the Aoi Academy. How did that happen?" Yukina hiccuped at the question. She gazed at her hands before tearing up an embarrassing piece.

"I'm sorry. I got small hands. They're barely bigger than Pikachu's." Ash huffed an easy chuckle at the shortcoming of Yukina. At least he understood what went wrong for Yukina.

"Oh well," he snickered. "At least we can correct this mistake and replace the Statue of Liberty, right?" Everyone agreed. Ash theorized a plan. "We need to extract Jonau from Illpalazzo and then recruit him and Excel to join in the spirit realm and fight off the demons." Simplistic plan but Sakura, Kuriko and May understood the idea.

"Aren't you the emphasis of straightforward thinking," Naruto sneered. Ash continued to smirk, confident about his plan.

"You'd be surprised at how they work, ninja boy." Well, it seemed priorities were set. Now it was back to New York. Yukina messed around with the watch when it began to activate. The light! New York, brace for the return.

"Naruto, Sakura," Tsunade hollered, freezing everyone. She tossed three pouches to the two departing ninjas. "I won't be able to join, but good luck against the demons and keep an eye on Hinata." Hinata? She already went ahead? Roy was heading toward the light as everyone else entered the portal to return to the Big Apple when Tsunade snagged him. A wicked smile, Tsunade reeled Roy in, pecking him in the lips. Gee, first May on Edward, then Kuriko on Ash and now this. "Good luck." Roy wasn't sure about accepting a kiss from someone about twice his age. Regardless, he chased the rest into the light.

* * *

_(Sewers, New York City, NY, USA)_

The group reemerged in the last place where Illpalazzo dropped the original four. Now there were 11. Alphonse, Roy, Naruto, Hinata, May, Kuriko and Yukina were in the mix, all back to their original attire. They reached a large door. Alphonse and Naruto multiples forced the door open. It was a large throne room. Where could Illpalazzo be? "Okay, where's that bastard Illpalazzo?" Edward growled. That's when laughter rang around the area.

"You called?" echoed Illpalazzo as he showed himself from behind the royal seat. That's when he spotted Yukina. "Hm. The Child of Time. You brought her back to my clutches. Well done." Everyone else gritted, standing by Yukina.

"You shall surrender the vessel and face us for real," Rin demanded. She was trying to verbally rid Jonau from Illpalazzo. Nice try. Illpalazzo pushed out an arm, an invisible force launching Ash and Edward back into a wall and leaving a crack in it. Was that from Illpalazzo or Jonau?

"Ed!/_**Ed!"**_ May and Alphonse shouted in fear.

"Ash!" Sakura and Kuriko copied in concern. Sakura pulled out her knives, bolting toward Illpalazzo, but was also launched far with a magical push.

"Sakura!" Naruto shrieked. Rin was the last force, racing in to beat that force. She wasn't quick enough as Illpalazzo performed it one more time. Last ditch, Rin fired a green orb to tag him, but that was returned and nailed her, smacking her into the wall. "Rin!" The four seemed powerless against Illpalazzo.

"Foolish," he murmured. "Did you ever think that you can defeat me so easily with a full frontal assault?" Ash and Edward peeled themselves off the wall and eyed Illpalazzo.

"Come to think of it, just about," Ash answered as he geared his sticks. Secretly, Hinata was focusing her eyes on Illpalazzo, her eyes being jacked up with veins bulging out of them. Her vision saw a white figure when she saw some sort of anomaly around Illpalazzo's right hip. This had to be notified.

"Ash, the right hip!" she called out. Ash viewed the hip, Hinata's guess on where to strike. Sakura looked at Hinata, noticing the eyes.

"She's using her Byakugan," she clarified as Rin came around after her push back. Ash jumped ahead once more, Edward trailing. Illpalazzo rose his hand, another force push coming. Edward reacted fast with a clap and a slap to the floor. The palm force repelled Ash backwards, but only a couple feet. Edward erected a wall not just to catch Ash on the fly-back, but to block the force from reaching him. Nice play. Illpalazzo may have the upper hand, but he overlooked one extra participant. Pikachu jumped off of Edward's back and over the wall. Ash peered up, seeing Pikachu...and a plan.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" he commanded. Pikachu launched its patent Thunderbolt, nailing Illpalazzo and stopping his force. Ash got on his feet and raced once again at Illpalazzo, a free shot cocked and loaded. The swing...BANG! A heavy hook with the tonfa stick jamming into Illpalazzo's hip. Illpalazzo screamed in tremendous pain, going to reach for that bruise. Open season. Edward perfected another transmutation, billowing up a small wall and arm-locks, securing the arms to avoid the force some more.

"Dahrim, discipline of arms..." Rin summoned. She swung her unsheathed sword through the air, a green blade forming and flung at and hitting the Lord. It struck the hip again, but it did something more. The green blade sliced through Illpalazzo but it pushed out a blue-haired, devil horn-styled man with narrow, pointy ears. His eyes were red and teeth look like they were merged from the shark in _Jaws_ and a king cobra. He wore suspenders and straps all over his chest and spiked pants. He managed to land on his feet, looking at Illpalazzo who fell limply to the ground. Rin and Hinata got to his side to make sure he wasn't dead. A pulse. He's alive. Edward, Pikachu and Ash stared down the new being. Was this Jonau?

"Damn you, punks!" he snarled. "I escaped the demon world to bring death to all humans. You just had to intervene, using your youth to fend off my ploy!" It was more than just youth, buddy.

"Oh, boo hoo," Edward mocked. "Cry me a river for me to sulk at my failure. You and every fiend that we fought were plain losers." That much was true. Jonau growled even louder, upset with Edward's teasing.

"I'll make sure you're all in that river, bleeding your guts out as the falls will drag your lifeless bodies to the great beyond." He jumped back in...but never got a chance to make his move. Finger snap! Jonau was suddenly engulfed in fire. He screamed in more outrageous pain when Sakura leaped up, more paper bombs in her hands as Jonau tried to snuff the fire out. Five slips stuck. Oh boy. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Jonau was blown up. Pieces of the demon scattered around the room. Jonau was done. Everyone breathed a sigh of great relief. The mission was over...or was it? Roy, the alchemy glove in hand, approached Illpalazzo as he was getting to his feet. Now it was the colonel and the lord eying each other.

"You're the one who ignited that annoying demon, weren't you?" he guessed. Roy showed his glove to the head honcho of ACROSS, the weapon of choice.

"Ignition cloth," he labeled. "Best substitution for a match or a lighter, though I don't smoke." Ah, a clean colonel.

"Neither do I." Ash came up to Hinata, a show of gratitude on the trainer's face.

"Hinata?" he called. Hinata spun to Ash, a hand extended for a well-deserved shake. "Thanks. Without you, we probably couldn't stop Jonau." Hinata saw the hand as well as Sakura and Kuriko. Oh no. This couldn't be a four-way, could it? Hinata smiled and shook the hand.

"You're welcome, Ash," she accepted. "But I think the bigger reward should go to your Pikachu for helping you more." As if on cue, Pikachu entered the scene and Hinata knelt down to pick it up. Kuriko and Sakura settled down, realizing that Hinata had no interest in Ash. More likely, because she pecked Pikachu's cheek, making the Pokémon blush. Aw! Then, the peace was shattered.

"Lord Illpalazzo!" Excel entered, happy to see her lord in good shape. "How are you feeling?" Illpalazzo huffed, a good sign that he was fine.

"I'll be fine, Agent Excel," he insisted. "However, it seems as though this battle is about to reach it's climax." Excel blinked, confused.

"What do you mean? Does it involve these ignorant masses?" Ignorant masses? Edward seemed to take it a bit personally.

"Are you referring us as ignorant when we saved your ass?" he growled. Illpalazzo shot a look at Edward, shaking not quite.

"The ignorant masses involve the demons back in this spirit world where Yukina came for assistance on behalf of ACROSS," he corrected. Ash figured it was too soon to celebrate.

"So, are you saying that you and Excel are gonna help?" he asked. Illpalazzo and Excel bobbed nods. They seemed ready to go. That's when Excel shot a look back at Edward. She remembered what occurred the last time he stopped her and did something inside the one Team Rocket's submarine.

"And no more penis makings!" she scolded. Penis makings? So that's what Edward did to tick off his team before separating. Edward did not really appreciate the blame for something he couldn't handle.

"I told you that my alchemy is somewhat out of my control," he groaned, wanting the subject dropped. "Let's get to the spirit world and take out my anger on the demons." Anxious, weren't we? Excel showed so much excitement, she nearly knocked off Alphonse's helmet. Kuriko got to Ash's side once more and stuck her tongue at Sakura, liking the look of her romantic rival's snarl. Then, there was the flash of light. When the flash finished, the room was empty. Lord Illpalazzo and Excel were now helping with rescuing the spirit world and restoring the timeline. Can it be done? Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, Kurama, help was on the way.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	10. A Final Spiritual Conflict

_Chapter 10: A Final Spiritual Conflict

* * *

_

BAM! A raven-haired teen in green was getting his butt kicked by Jonau while Yukina stood watch. They were in a large office room with a yellow-tiled floor, desks and papers scattered all over the place. "Yusuke!" Yukina cried out. Yusuke was banged up, but good. His head was gashed in, blood seeping from his mouth and welts all over his body from shoulders to toe. Yukina was fearing that she was watching the end of Yusuke when a light flashed from behind her. She looked back and saw Pikachu, Edward and Excel exit, Excel packing heat in the form of a giant ram-like cannon. The rest were coming.

"Now, Spirit Detective," Jonau grumbled. "It's about time that you go to Hell." His arms began to protrude spikes. It was about how she described the scene. "Die!" The spikes shot out, aiming right at Yusuke...but intervention was requested. Pikachu raced in and swatted the spikes from the air with his Iron Tail. "What?!" The spikes fell feet from Yusuke while Pikachu got to his side. "Who the hell are you?"

"Interestingly enough, I'm kinda wondering that myself," Yusuke shrugged. Edward and Excel ran to standing by Pikachu and becoming the wall betwixt Jonau and Yusuke.

"You alright, man?" Edward asked Yusuke. Yusuke staggered onto a knee, weakened from his bout.

"Isn't it obvious?" Pretty much. Excel stood in front of Jonau, ready for combat.

"Now, ferocious demon," she called out. "Beware of the strength of ACROSS as I, Excel, will punish you for tarnishing this spirit realm and illegally possessing Lord Illpalazzo!" Talk about gun-ho, Excel went to the point of accusation. Edward and Pikachu knew that there was no way for Excel to prove Jonau did all of that...when they had gone back in time.

"Excel, we're in the past," Edward pointed out. "He hasn't done the possession thing yet." Oops. Excel scratched her head in some shame and probably given Jonau an idea.

"Excel's sorry."

"Possession of a lord, you say?" Jonau began to plot. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. But let's start with you!" He fired more spikes at the four. Edward was on top of that as he erected a wall vie alchemy, blocking the spikes from reaching. Excel came around, engaging Jonau in hand-to-hand combat. She just needed to dodge one punch for...Excel goes berserk! She rained a barrage of punches, nailing Jonau from the hip up. She had to have landed at least 50 punches...in five seconds!

"...And pancakes!" One more punch to the sternum sent the wanted demon flying as Excel turned. "ACROSS Avenging Fist!" She didn't listen to Edward. Still, the decking to Jonau was pretty good. The rest of the team filed out where Sakura tended to the injured Yusuke. And believe it or not, two Yukinas. One was more timid than the other.

"I'll be fine," he groaned. "But what about Kuwabara and Kurama and Hiei?" The teammates. Ash, May and Naruto looked out the windows and saw waves of demons approaching three young men. A short shadow black-haired man, who's hair may be considered darker than Ash's, had black robes and fatigues wrapping his body while wielding a samurai sword. The second was a redhead, much like Matsuda's back in the Academy, was in a magenta kung fu outfit with a green thorny whip. The last was also a redhead, not as colored at the second guy, was the tallest in a blue uniform, not police or military. He had two blades that seemed to be made from some sort of energy. Ash had taken an interest in the quantity of fiends on the approach.

"Looks like we got our work cut out," he mumbled.

"Yeah, I don't think my Shadow Clones will be enough to help," Naruto doubted himself. Jonau laughed as he rose to his feet. Excel didn't hurt him hard enough. Everyone turned to see the wanted demon, including the two Yukinas.

"The invasion has started and there's nothing you can do to seal the gates," he snarled. "It's a hopeless battle and you don't know what you're facing." His laughter made the rest feel uneasy and struggled. Illpalazzo came up and extended his arm out.

"Then why don't you join your mob and face us when the blood bathtub is filled," he muttered as the force propelled Jonau through the window and onto the ground several feet below. This was only the beginning.

"_**We need to get going if we can stop this mob from reaching here,"**_ Alphonse figured. Agreeing, everyone chose to head out and make a stand, Excel grabbing her weapon. Yusuke was fascinated with the unified team, but saw the two Yukinas first. Who was who?

"Yukina, you need to be alive," one Yukina confidently smiled. That would be the present Yukina telling the the past Yukina about the situation. "I've seen what goes on." The past maiden nodded, believing her future counterpart. "Yusuke, don't worry too much about me. Me dying is nothing compared to hers." Yusuke scoffed, not too concerned with either Yukina.

"Don't tell me who I should protect," he arrogantly withdrew the offer before running off with now-Yukina and ditching past-Yukina. As the group made their way to the battlefield, someone else wanted to mix it up with the invaders and not the humans.

"Looks like there's gonna be one big barn-burner in a min," someone with a Scottish accent scoffed. Pikachu looked up to the sound, eying a redhead man with a horn sticking out of the crown and what appeared to be white overalls with the straps crossing over his chest. Visible tornadoes covered his arms like they were wrist-guards. To Roy, it was extra help.

"We could use some extra assistance!" he huffed, nearly out of breath. The new man flew lowered to Ash, thinking he's the leader of this group.

"So, young laddie, you have any idea on why these demons want to storm the spirit realm?"

"Even if I do know, all we need to do is stop these guys from reaching Yukina," Ash replied. "By the way, I'm Ash and this one on my shoulder is Pikachu."

"Jin is the name. See ya in the front lines." Jin flew forward, ready to help these humans who reached the other three, lining themselves up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" the redhead in blue with a gruff voice stammered. "Who the hell are you? Urameshi's new friend?" The other redhead seemed pleased to have more people to help with all these demons. The man in black was more annoyed.

"Relax, Kuwabara," the other redhead muttered, calmer than anyone on the defense. "Knowing them, they had to have helped Yusuke with Jonau." Kuwabara began to ease about the new aids.

"Besides, Kuwabara, we did protect Yukina for you," Edward rubbed it in. Hearing about Yukina, Kuwabara realized that they could be trusted.

"Well, if you did keep Yukina safe, welcome aboard the defensive stand with cool Kurama and shorty," he mocked Hiei, the man in black.

"Refrain from using my size, Kazuma," Hiei scorned in a lower tone than Kurama. "My powers can kill you in a blink of an eye." Well, there was about to be a flood of blood in this battle.

"Let's keep the name calling for these idiots coming for us," Kuriko advised. Thousands of demons versus Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, Jin, Yukina, Ash, Rin, Edward, Sakura, Alphonse, Roy, Naruto, Hinata, May, Kuriko, Excel and Illpalazzo.

"This is it, everyone!" Ash bellowed. "The final battle! Attack!" Both sides met. This was about to get physical. Excel pulled the trigger of her cannon, which behaved like an automatic rifle. Regardless of what it was shooting, the massacre of demonic bodies began to take toll. Rin and Hiei were carving their way through demon after demon, not letting one squirm into their bubbles.

"It seems that I'm not the only expert of swords and power," Hiei complimented Rin's work. Rin finished one more before turning to the other raven-haired man.

"While I do appreciate the good word, we should keep our minds on the demons," she muttered. Back to hacking. More demons zeroed in on Roy, his ignition glove on. He's nonchalantly walking into the battle like it was in the bag while the brothers bashed tooth, fang and nail.

"Let's go, let's go!" one demon shouted for the charge. "He's asking to die!" Roy grinned, too confident for the demons to realize his real scheme. He swung his arm across his body and snapped his gloved fingers. KABOOM! A massive explosion blew away the demons as well as blow them apart. Man, to think he had restraint. Naruto, Sakura and Hinata seemed to be having no problem with their battles. Naruto carbonated his clones to his best efficiency. Hinata was knocking demons around like they were toothpicks and discarding them aside in a littering stint. Sakura? Take no prisoners! Her ninja skills with her weapons carved new ones in the demons. Ash and May allowed their Pokémon to do the fighting with Ash aiding them. Pikachu, Grovyle and Combusken gave the demons such a lashing that made even Grovyle feel cocky. Everyone, including Jin and the other detectives swiftly gained the upper hand. That's when a sky blue-haired female in a pink kimono flew above the battlefield on a wooden oar. Why an oar? She found Yusuke after tossing a demon onto spikes summoned by Edward. Demon-kabob, anyone?

"Yusuke!" she shouted. Yusuke looked up just as a flash stream of wind propelled more demons, courtesy of Jin.

"Botan, what is it?" Yusuke wondered.

"We need Yukina and the demon watch with Koenma on the Sunset Cliff over there." She pointed to a cliff side in the distance. What for and why both Yukina and the pocket watch? Yusuke knew what to do in this situation. Ash, decking one more demon, overheard Botan, getting an idea.

"Leave Yukina to me," he grinned. Botan and Yusuke had doubts about this.

"Are you sure?" he expressed his disapproval.

"Hey, I told Naruto that my straightforward thinking can work. Trust me." If Botan and Yusuke wanted to trust Ash, it had to be with whatever Ash had baking in his mental oven. Before getting their consent, Ash was off and running back to the office. "Pikachu, Grovyle, listen to and protect May!"

("You got it, bro!") Pikachu obeyed. Grovyle acknowledged Ash's orders as well.

"Alphonse, Excel, I need you!" Alphonse and Excel? The called upon got to Ash in a sense of regrouping.

"_**What is it, Ash?" **_Alphonse asked. **_"You formulated a plan?"_**

"Yeah, listen. We need Yukina over with the others on that far cliff which can only be scaled up the side. Thanks to listening to Ed, we'll need that armor as a carrier for Yukina." Ash was banking on Alphonse's armor to escort Yukina safely. Excel had a thought of why she was summoned, but had to be clear about it.

"What about Excel?" she moaned.

"You provide clearance. You've been doing awesome so far." Excel knew it. She nodded, ready to go into battle. When they reached the office once more, both Yukinas had been observing the battle from the safety of the windows. "Yukina, you've been summoned! Let's go!" The present Yukina nodded, allowing the past Yukina to approach the trio. Alphonse opened his breastplate where Ash helped inside. Now-Yukina nodded, knowing that this was it as she tossed the watch to Ash who placed it in his pocket.

"Ash, be careful," now-Yukina promised. Ash nodded. What about Excel and Alphonse?

"Hey, if anything, I've got a few good people who've got our backs." The three stormed off, past-Yukina inside Alphonse's breastplate. They charged headlong into battle, Excel with a fresh stock of bullets ready to fire.

"ACROSS Rapid Fire!" she chanted loudly as she pulled the trigger. More bullets fired out of the barrels and hitting each demon like a mower to grass. Kuwabara saw the trio run out through the waving demon hordes and followed. Botan was by the checkpoint, cliff base, eying the four approaching. As soon as they arrived by Botan, Ash bent forward in lack of oxygen. Out of breath. Excel, Alphonse and Kuwabara were okay as Alphonse opened his breastplate and letting Yukina off. Kuwabara was glad to see Yukina in perfect shape.

"Yukina, you alright?" he asked in a hint of concern. Yukina smiled up to Kuwabara, a good sign that she was okay.

"A little shaken up but otherwise..." she summed up that bolt. Botan was very impressed with Ash's quick thinking, burying her doubts.

"Ash, I'm amazed that you made it work," she praised. Ash looked up with a confident smile and flicking a thumb up.

"_**So now what?" **_Alphonse questioned. **_"You're gonna take Yukina to the top and do what she needs to do?"_**

"That's the plan." Easy enough. Kuwabara chose to offer a bit of his services to help the mission.

"Allow me," he opened. "My spirit sword should reach the top in no time." He jabbed the sword into the ground. Yukina was a bit hesitant about having Kuwabara give her a lift. That's when Ash remembered the watch and gave it to her, nodding that this would work. Going with this motion, Yukina latched onto Kuwabara's neck. Time to rise. "Hang on tight. Sword get long!" That's when the length of Kuwabara's sword increased greatly, catapulting the two up the cliff. On top was a small child with a pacifier in its mouth and wearing blue, including his hat which was about the same size as his body. There was also a blue goblin with a leopard pelt around his waist. Reason?

"Yukina!" the boy greeted...sounding more like an adult. Okay... "Kuwabara, you made it. You have the demon watch?" Yukina revealed the watch.

"It's right here, Prince Koenma," she acknowledged as Ash and Kuriko arrived as well. Koemna pointed to the setting sun.

"Hurry and point the watch to the sun!" Complying, Yukina pointed the watch to the sun, a beam of light shooting out. Suddenly, shades of energy coated the humans from Ash to Yusuke, the Pokémon as well. The demons and humans watched, wondering what that light was doing. That's when a wave of light splashed into the scene. Everyone braced for the fast approaching wave, not enough time to steer clear. SPLASH! The light smashed into everyone in the gorge. Ash, Kuriko and Kuwabara hoped everyone would be okay. Then, just as the wave came, it went. Other than Jin, Kurama and Hiei, the demons appeared to have been washed away. Not even a dismembered arm, probably courtesy of Rin, Hiei or Edward, was exposed. The mission was accomplished and this time, celebration was in order.

"All...Right!" Naruto cheered wildly in the air. Much jubilation was awarded as Naruto, May, Edward, Yusuke, Excel, Pikachu and Jin joyously jumped around and hugged everyone in much excitement. Kuriko got caught up in the excitement as well, hugging Ash and allowing her breasts to smack his head. Can you call that crushed by a crush?

"At last, it's over," Botan sighed in relief. Rin and Hiei shook hands, a sign of respect amongst swordsmen.

"Perhaps, we can fight each other in respect when you come by the spirit realm," Hiei issued. Rin smiled, interested with the offer for a match with Hiei. Edward and May congratulated each other with a hug...and holding lips in a kiss. You could tell that they were in love and she didn't care if Edward's auto-mail would pinch her. In New York for this brief moment, everyone had watched the podium where the Statue of Liberty once stood. Suddenly, the statue began to materialize. It had taken a minute, but with cellphone cameras available, they had witnessed the resurrection of the Statue of Liberty, the symbol of American freedom. This was the signal of the accomplished mission. The celebrations was enough to wear a headache-rattled Ash.

"It's all over," Ash sighed, practically repeating Botan. "I kinda wished it would go on for a little longer. I was enjoying the thrill." Well, Ash, all things must come to an end.

"This..." a familiar growl broke. Those on the cliff heard the tone and turned to...was that Jonau? He was huge. "This isn't over by a long shot!" How did that happen? Did Excel change Jonau? Ash, Kuriko, Botan, Yukina and the blue guy became frightened. Excel saw the new Jonau, feeling guilty about the change.

"I take it that the avenging fist backfired," she realized. Gee, you think? Lord Illpalazzo gazed at Excel, that ACROSS Avenging Fist in question.

"You used the pressure point punches in the wrong demeanor, didn't you?" he groaned. Yup. Ash straightened out and walked toward Jonau, approaching suicide.

"You dare face me?" he scoffed. "You are nothing. All you possess is what all humans possess. It makes no difference!" Boy, doesn't that put you down? Ash stood his ground, a blue glow enveloping him. Was that the same power he used on Barry? Kuriko became dumbfounded with the new Ash while the others wondered about the new coating.

"I am a descendant of Sir Aaron," he proposed. "One of the great Guardians of Aura. I have the power to defeat anyone who stands in my way, even when I don't have my Pokémon to help. It's never used in the past since there was no real threat such as you. However, I've got friends to protect. My suggestion is for you to surrender before I tear you to confetti." Guardians of Aura? Was that the glow? Was it when the watch restored the past to what it was originally? Jonau laughed, calling out Ash's bluff.

"You? A descendant of a powerful guardian? Don't make me laugh." You did laugh. "Now die!" He tried a punch and with the size, he could easily crush Ash. BOOM! Everyone gasped, fearing the worst. That's when the smoke cleared. Ash had blocked the punch...with one arm. Now Jonau was the one gasping, disbelieving the stoppage of his punch. "Impossible!" Ash was ready to return the favor.

"Allow me to give back the power you're offering." Suddenly, the aura began to cover Jonau, instantly paralyzing him from moving. Jonau was screwed. KABOOM! A massive explosion rocked the mountains of the spirit realm. Ash and Jonau were in the epicenter. Did Ash destroy Jonau...at the expense of his life?

"ASH!!!" Kuriko yelled out, wishing her flame of a short while would survive.

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED...


	11. Hail, Ketchum!

_Chapter 11/Final: Hail, Ketchum!

* * *

_

Ash was opening his eyes. Kuriko, Sakura and Excel watched over his coming around. "Ash is waking up," Excel chirped. Ash was pretty delirious from that explosion.

"Kuriko?" he weakly muttered in pain. "Sakura? Excel?" A teary eyed Kuriko dove onto and hugged the injured boy who was lying on a bed only wearing some scorched pants. His head, forearms, wrists and ribs were covered in bandages. He had to have been soundly injured.

"Oh, Ash," she whimpered. "You have no idea how worried we were!" From the wounds he suffered, it was no kid.

"I remember...stopping Jonau's attack." Announcing that he was the descendant of a guardian of aura, Ash summoned his aura and stopped an oversize punch from Jonau...with one hand. He bonded his aura and blew up Jonau. "I can't recall what happened after that." As if called upon, Koenma, with Pikachu on his head, came into the scene.

"Well, you should be fortunate that Botan, Yukina, Kuwabara, Kuriko and I witnessed it," he spoke up. Pikachu joined the group of girls and Ash in the sense of relief. "You see..."

* * *

_(Flashback/Koenma's View)_

_When the explosion occurred, Kuriko was the first to rush the explosion. Kuwabara used his spirit energy and turned his sword into a giant fan to blow the smoke away. We saw the aftermath and Jonau was pretty much dust. There you were, blood draining from you in the bandaged areas but standing in shock, covered in about a few gallons of blood, unsure if it was yours, Jonau's or a combination of both. You collapsed onto Kuriko who flew you at a nearby stream to cleanse you and Sakura use her first-aid to mend your injuries before bringing you back in the office.

* * *

_

"You should be lucky, Ash," Koenma added. "You've got a couple of ladies who care so much about you." Ash did feel humble. He had Sakura, who's been with him from the start, and Kuriko, who fell for him after saving her from demons.

"Prince has a point," Sakura huffed before snarling at Kuriko. This hasn't rested yet? "Even if one of us is a big-boobed hussy!" Kuriko scowled back, flustered with Sakura's mock.

"Big deal if I'm big-boobed," she retorted. "I'm also the one who gave him his first kiss." How do you counter that? Sakura was shocked to hear about Kuriko lip-locking Ash. It was as if Sakura never had a chance to properly engage Ash herself. Excel seemed intrigued with how lucky of a man Ash was.

"Even Lord Illpalazzo doesn't get too lucky with women, let alone get a kiss," she exaggerated. It's when Koenma had his doubts about Kuriko being Ash's first kiss.

"Is Kuriko your _real_ first kiss, Ash?" Koenma wondered. Ash shook his head in a pinch of shame. So, it wasn't the first kiss.

"She's my third, actually," he confessed. "But she may be the first to express." What did that mean?" Sakura calmed down when she learned that Kuriko was the third girl to smooch Ash, almost to the point to poke fun at her. "When I traveled the Orange Islands and came onto Shamouti Isle, Melody was given the honor of the Festival Maiden in need of a trainer, thus me. She got me in the cheek as a 'Welcome Kiss,' much to Misty's chagrin. The other was in Alto Mare when I was leaving and Bianca had approached me and pecked in the same place, only I'm not sure if it was Bianca or Latias, a Pokémon residing there, who kissed me." So one was a welcoming gesture while the other one was left a mystery.

"So, Blondie was a legitimate kiss, then?" Excel guessed.

"That's right. She did try twice only to be interrupted by demons and Nakamaru before scoring one on the St. Anne." All while making Brock jealous of your luck involving older women. Good work. "Besides, I think I'm good to go." He hopped from the bed, straight as an arrow. He recovered pretty fast. "Say, Prince, you got anything for me to wear here? I'm not sure going to meet everyone with no shirt on is a wise thing." Koenma snickered, believing Ash and his bodacious bod would be disturbing for some of his teammates.

"I had a sinking feeling that you would ask about that," he chuckled. That's when Botan entered, a folded black t-shirt in her arms.

"Ash, I'm astounded that your ancestor is a legendary guardian of such a power," she awed. Ash scoffed at the grand remark, feeling rather apologetic to someone.

"Hearing that makes me feel ashamed," he huffed. No one seemed to get it. Befuddled looks all around told Ash to clarify his meaning. "I mean, here I am getting all these gracious remarks and surrounded by admiring ladies in a sense of making Brock hate me. He goes after girls and yet, I'm the one getting the love he wants." Sakura and Botan finally understood. He doesn't try to get girls and yet, he still gets them while Brock was the other way around. When Kuriko got the message, he approached Ash and placed a hand on his chest. This had to be good.

"Maybe I should visit your world once more and show Brock what to do when he makes a move for a girl and the true concept of love," she offered. Although seeing Kuriko's hand on Ash bit into her anger, Sakura realized that she had a strong point and would agree.

"She's right," she spoke up. "This friend should understand that sometimes love needs to search for you, not vice versa." Ash nodded, accepting the knowledge of these girls he befriended, including Excel. He threw the shirt on, a sky blue line crossing the chest. Once on, the group exited to meet with the rest. Naruto, Alphonse and Kurama were engaging quite a conversation, as was Rin and Hiei with Yukina, Kuwabara with Edward and May and Yusuke with Roy and Hinata. Illpalazzo was resting to the side with the blue ogre, no talk between them. Seeing Ash, Yusuke and Roy were there to meet him.

"Hey, there's our warrior," Yusuke greeted with a hand open for a high-five. "I don't think I could match the strength that you gave Jonau." Ash chuckled, humbled by Yusuke's warm words.

"I don't know if I could do that again," he doubted himself with a smile.

"Yeah, that was a bit of a gamble and it nearly did you in," Roy warned. "Regardless, I doubt anyone would've been brave to battle that fiend the same way you did. It's like the fear in you gave way to confidence which aided that aura you emitted." Ash nodded, proud to get an appraisal from a colonel.

"It's an honor to have fought with you, Col. Mustang." He saluted with a palm-down over his forehead. Roy copied before both lowered the salute. Everyone joined for praises and acknowledgments when Koenma stepped up with a few words to say at his desk. He exposed a gavel and pounded on the desk for attention. Everyone was quiet.

"Thank you for honoring the floor to me," he teased. "This was quite a showmanship to see many people from different cultures unite in a battle to protect not only the humans in many worlds, but the time stream that had wreaked havoc to alter destiny. Lord Illpalazzo, Excel Excel, Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Col. Roy Mustang, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuga, Ash Ketchum, May Maple, Rin Kamishiro and Kuriko Kazetsubaki, for your actions in the spirit world and all worlds, I hear by present you as honorary Spirit Detectives, vanquishers of evil and protectors of the innocent." All embraced the new titles bequeathed to them. Honorary Spirit Detectives. They were proud to join as an elite team united by Pokémon trainers, ninjas, alchemists, dictators and magicians. "However, it's time for all to depart from here and rejoin your worlds. This is the decision handed down by the king, my father. You all can have a few minutes to say farewell to those you've enjoyed working with. I know I hate to break some of you apart, but balance needs to be restored." So, that was it. After all that, the team was forcefully breaking apart. The members shook hands, remembering the help they offered. Ash got a great big kiss from Kuriko, her wishing she didn't want to be broken from him. May gave Edward a huge hug, advising him not to forget him. Rin and Naruto shook hands, knowing that the help in the Hidden Leaf Village benefited each. Sakura, not watching the kiss, handed a few paper bombs to Alphonse, telling him if Edward would go out of line to blow up his butt. After a while, Yukina used the watch, opening five portals, one to each location: Central, Hidden Leaf, St. Anne, Aoi campus and New York City.

"This is it," Yusuke, with the other spirit detectives, acknowledged. "Good luck on your journeys." With a final nod from Ash, Edward, Sakura and Rin, everyone entered their portals, heading home. The portals closed, the last moment of the team. It almost brought Yusuke to tears...catching Kuwabara's attention.

"Is that crying I'm seeing, Urameshi?" he teased. Yusuke snapped out, trying to man up against Kuwabara.

"N-no, I'm not crying, Kuwabara! It was grease in my hair. It got in my eye, that's all!" Kuwabara didn't believe it, thinking Yusuke was tearing up. Even Kurama and Hiei had to exclude the excuse for the tears.

"I think Yusuke realizes that he's nowhere near as strong as Ash," Kurama rubbed the salt on his wound.

"I wouldn't doubt that hypothesis," Hiei sided against Yusuke. Regardless, Yusuke still denied the concept of Ash being stronger than him.

"Maybe I should blast you damn asses for thinking that I'm inferior to that kid!" he roared as a whitish glow coated his body. He wanted to prove a point. Not sure if losing your cool helps.

* * *

_(New York City, NY/A few years later...)_

It's been a few years since the big battle against the demons to protect the city. Not much had changed...but tell that to a foursome that had appeared in front of a skyscraper. It couldn't be...could it? The blond braided hair... the short pink hair...the yellow lightning-shaped tail on a mouse...the twin violet ponytails... It was! "I can't believe that it's been a few years since we joined forces against the demons," Ash awed at this reunion. Ash was in a black travel vest over a white t-shirt. He did grow a foot but he didn't really change too much, same with Pikachu.

"Even after all those years, we still recognized each other like nothing appeared different," Edward agreed. He was in a brown vest over a lavender long-sleeve shirt which still had the auto-mail. Some things hadn't change. Some have.

"Some of that may be because you still have the auto-mail and Ketchum still has Pikachu hanging around his shoulder," Rin grumbled. She wore a white laboratory coat under a green shirt and brown pants. Her figure did balloon much, especially her breasts. They were at least a C-cup. "Besides Ketchum, Kuriko still thinks about you." Ash huffed, amused that Kuriko hadn't let her feelings about him go. She's probably a full-grown adult while he's still a teen. That's when he remembered the other couple he helped, Kazuki and Yuna.

"By the way, how are Kazuki and Yuna doing?" he questioned. Rin was ready with an answer.

"Graduated, married, triplets." So, Yuna and Kazuki graduated from the campus, got hitched and had three kids within them.

"Well, should we go back, is it possible to-"

"Of course." Ash felt relieved that he would have his acknowledgment be known to the two.

"You know, since Kuriko isn't around to fondle you," Sakura, in a skimpier red suit and wearing gloves. "The field's open. Perhaps there's something between us that has worked." There was one that Ash remembered.

"You want another jet-ski ride with me?" he wondered. "Well, sure I could do that. It's not a problem." That's when he pulled an envelop from his pocket. It was from Illpalazzo. "But first, we need to attend this." The others nodded. They managed to find a manhole cover to open and scale down into the sewers. They entered a chamber door into the same room where they had that first battle with Illpalazzo, which was ultimately Jonau. The room was empty. "Oh, speaking of thoughts...Ed, I've heard that May hasn't forgotten her emotions when she laid that good one on you, thinking it was a kiss with you two." Edward was a bit humbled, honored that his friend still had her mind on the famous alchemist she knew about.

"Why am I not surprised?" he gloated. "Although, she should take a look at Al. He's back to a human and no longer bound to a suit of armor." Alphonse was human once more? Nice. Rin stood silent, almost to a point of wanting to know what was going through her mind. Finally, Sakura had the option of asking Rin.

"So, Rin," she spoke up. "Did you have anyone in mind?" Rin's face became red. She was blushing. She had an admirer.

"Well..." she stuttered. "You see..." Sakura sneered at the flustered look on Rin's face. Was it from here? From her world? From the Hidden Leaf Village?

"Aha! There is someone you had a crush on. Come on, spill it out!" Rin was completely rattled in embarrassment. The boys were wondering who the lucky person was.

"Okay, it Kurama! You happy now?!" Kurama? She preferred one of the Spirit Detectives? Edward and Sakura seemed downright dumbfounded with her choice. Ash got where she was coming from.

"Not a bad choice," he scoffed. The group stared down Ash on why Rin would go after the redhead. "You've seen the main three aspects that you also saw within me: athleticism, education and respect. That would be why you had that feeling." Rin acted very perplexed. Was Ash right?

"The more you speak like that, the more I should come after you like Sakura and Kuriko." Ash realized that Rin could have come for him for those same reasons. He chose to keep quiet about it. That's when Illpalazzo, not changed like Pikachu, entered the room and sat on the throne.

"Ketchum, Elric, Haruno, Kamishiro," he addressed. "I thank you all for coming. Since the department of civil services have returned to F City/F Prefecture, this allows me to have ACROSS conduct the businesses in the United States. In the eyes of ACROSS, this world is corrupt. As new agents to align with Agent Excel, your mission is to rid the evils within this North American city to begin with and spread the wealth of the good fight across the nation." This became a mission that stopping all who oppose the law must be excruciatingly punished, a mission that they were all capable of. Ash, Sakura, Rin and Edward rose and extended their arms forward. The ACROSS salute.

"Hail, Illpalazzo!" they chanted in unison. There's always some sort of battle going on. In New York, the police were about to get an upper hand on crime. Go, new agents of ACROSS! Save the places from corruption!

* * *

THE END


End file.
